Ponies of the military
by garnetfrog
Summary: Pictures of all made up characters can be found at my deviant art page. Garnetfrog. In chapter 29 I mention a song called the death waltz, this is an extremely difficult song that I suggest you look up on youtube.
1. Chapter 1 the lights

**Part one: new to the world**

"No sir, don't worry. We are sending a team to investigate as we speak." The operator hung up.

"What was that?" Asked the Commander of the air base.

"That was another civilian asking about the strange lights in the Bermuda triangle." The operator said. A light on the consol in front of her lit up.

"I didn't authorize an investigation." The Commander said as the operator answered the phone.

"Just a second sir. Hello? Yes we are ware of the lights. What? Are you sure? Alright. Yes, we are sending out a team to investigate." The operator hung up the phone again.

"Well?" Asked the Commander.

"This call said that they saw some kind of machine through their telescope. They are afraid that it's a terrorist attack." The operator stated. She took a sip of the coffee in front of her.

The Commander started pacing. "Well… perhaps we should send out a team… just to be safe." The Commander said while pacing up and down the floor.

The operator took up the phone and dialed a number. "We need to send a helicopter on a reconnaissance mission…. Yes this is about the lights…. A Blackhawk will be fine." The operator said.

The Commander stopped pacing the floor. "Well?" He asked impatiently.

"They're sending out a Blackhawk… number 157 I think… all the others are occupied with training maneuvers or repairs." The operator said. Another light appeared on the console.

"Let someone else get that one." He said. "I want a list of names of the flight crew."

The operator opened a filing cabinet and pulled out a file marked BH-157. She handed the file to the Commander and closed the cabinet.

"2nd Private Daniel Freddricks, Private Shane Rowell, Warrant Officer Alex Drent, and Captain Christopher Durran." He read out loud. Outside he could hear a helicopter starting up. "That's a strange combination of ranks." He observed.

The operator took the file. "According to their file… they were grouped together because they were the last four when Blackhawk crews were chosen." She put the file back into the cabinet.

"Well. I hope those lights are nothing." The Commander started wringing his hands nervously.

The operator ignored the Commander and answered the phone. "Hello? Yes we are aware of the lights."


	2. Chapter 2 Hawk 157

**In Hawk 157**

"Hey Chris!" Shane shouted over the noise of the helicopter. "Could you fly a little lower?" He yelled sarcastically.

"I suppose I could, but then we'd crash into the water!" Chris shouted back. He turned and grinned at the gunner.

"Just fly a little higher!" He yelled. He turned back to the M240H that was mounted on the door of the Blackhawk. He leaned out of the helicopter slightly to look at the lights in the distance.

"We're about 27 miles away from the lights!" Alex called out. He tapped on one of the console gauges.

"What's wrong?" Yelled Chris. He examined the gauges and frowned.

"The altimeter is moving everywhere! I think it's broken!" Alex tapped the gauge some more.

"Everything ok up there?" Shouted Daniel. He leaned on his M240H as he looked into the cockpit.

_"This is tower 2, do you copy Hawk 157? Over." _The radio transmitted.

"We read you loud and clear, over." Chris responded. He looked down at the console again. "What the? Now the radar system is malfunctioning!" He shouted. The screen of the radar had lines going across the screen, distorting the image.

_"Did I just hear you're having trouble with your radar, over?" _asked the flight controller.

"Yes, the altimeter is also working strangely." Chris responded.

"Wait! I can't tell how fast we're going now!" Shouted Alex.

"Apparently our speed gauge is also malfunctioning." Chris said.

_"Please await instructions while I check with the Commander." _The tower said.

"Great, it's like being put on hold…" Chris said glumly.

"We are now on the edge of the lights. All of our instruments are now malfunctioning." Alex said with enthusiasm.

"What the hell is it?" Shane muttered. He aimed the gun down at the lights.

_"Th-der-ou-ort-me-ck-ver." _The radio transmitted mostly static.

A red light started flashing and something started beeping loudly.

"What is that? What the hell does that mean?" Yelled Daniel.

The engine started smoking and the helicopter blades sounded like they were slowing down.

"What the hell!" Shouted Chris.

There was a small explosion near the back of the helicopter and it started to spin out of control.

"Whoa! That's not supposed to happen! Where's the auto rotor?" Alex yelled.

"Mayday, mayday! The engine has failed and we are spinning out of control! The auto rotor does not appear to be working! Hello can you read me!" He shouted into the radio.

_"-ld-ov-" _There was too much static to understand the tower.

The light started swirling in a vortex.

"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-" The helicopter fell into the lights.

**At the tower**

_"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-" The_ radio transmitted. The transmission turned into static.

"Hello? Hawk 157, do you read me, over? Hello? Please respond!" The air traffic controller shouted.

"What happened?" Exclaimed the Commander.

"I don't know! I can't see them on the radar and they won't respond!" He said in despair.

One of the tower personnel was at the window with high powered binoculars. "The lights are gone!" He called out.

The Commander practically shoved the man out of the way. He raised the binoculars to his eyes. "Well I'll be damned." He whispered. "I want rescue helicopters and boats out looking for that Black Hawk! Now!" He shouted.

"Sir, yes sir!" Everyone yelled.

The commander stared out the window with no expression; his hands were clasped behind his back. He didn't move at all as people rushed around behind him to fulfill his order.


	3. Chapter 3 the crash

"UUUUUUUUUUCK!" Chris screamed into the microphone. The helicopter was still spinning violently out of control. Every once and a while he thought he saw land though.

Another small explosion jolted the helicopter to the side. Daniel's harness snapped and he fell out.

"DANIEL!" Shane yelled horrified. The helicopter continued its free fall for less than ten seconds before slamming into the side of a mountain. The impact snapped Shane's harness. He flew from the helicopter and hit the side of the mountain. He rolled down it for a little bit then came to a stop on a small, flat area.

He groaned and tried to look at his body. He was unable to move his head from shock. He lifted his left hoof up to touch his head.

_Hoof?_ He thought. Shane brought it in front of his face. "What the heck?" He said. He heard metal groaning above him. He looked up to see that the helicopter was slowly tilting down and would soon collapse on top of him.

"Shit!" He yelled. Adrenaline coursed through his veins as he scrambled onto his feet and ran.

The helicopter shifted once more and fell. It hit the ground where Shane had just been and burst into flame. Shane collapsed when he was clear of the inferno. He ached all over. He was vaguely aware of shouting and figures running toward him before he blacked out.

**Alex's crash**

When the helicopter crashed Alex was jolted to the side. His helmet broke the window. "Ow!" He exclaimed. He slowly looked toward Chris. He started in surprise when he saw that, instead of Chris, there was a green coated pony. He rubbed his eyes with his hooves and looked again.

_Wait a minute… Hooves?_ He looked down at his hands to see that they were now hoofs. The fur was a slightly lighter shade of his flight suit.

He didn't have time to think. He could feel the helicopter was slowly tilting forward. He unbuckled himself and the pony next to him and dragged him out of the helicopter. Just as he stepped out; the helicopter fell. He dragged the pony a little further away and shook him.

"Chris?" He asked nervously. The pony stirred slightly and said, "I don't feel good Alex." Alex looked around and saw that a small group of white ponies in bronze armor were running toward them.

"What the hell…" He said.

**Daniel's fall**

Daniel screamed as he fell from the helicopter. He watched as the helicopter smashed into the side of a mountain. He looked down and saw a large castle with a city surrounding it. _Oh shit, I'm going to die! _He thought. The castle's roof grew larger and larger as he neared it. Daniel braced for impact. He hit the slant of the roof and started rolling off of it.

He fell off the edge onto another roof. He could hear a loud crack as he hit the second roof. He rolled off that roof and down onto the sidewalk in front of the Building. The impact stunned him. He could hear screaming and gasps of surprise around him, but he could hardly see.

He groaned and blacked out.


	4. Chapter 4 hospital

Shane awoke with a start. He was looking straight up at a white ceiling with a light in the center of it. He slowly turned his head to the left. An IV was slowly dripping fluids down a tube. He slowly looked right. His flak jacket and helmet were hanging on hooks on the wall.

"Where's my flight suit?" He thought out loud. He sat up painfully and looked at the front of the room. It was empty except for a door and a small table.

"I must be in a hospital." He said. He rubbed his head with his left hoof.

He froze. "Hoof." He said. He slowly brought it down and looked at it. He examined it, turning it around to look from different angles. He looked at his other hoof.

"What the heck?" he lifted the sheet off of him and looked down at his body. It was the body of a pony.

"NURSE!" He almost screamed. A white pony in a nurse's gown came rushing in moments later.

"What! What's wrong?" She asked worried.

Shane felt his heart skip a beat. He stared at the nurse with wide eyes until she grew uncomfortable and started shifting from side to side.

"Is something wrong?" She asked nervously. She looked him over and couldn't see anything immediately wrong with him.

"What hospital is this?" He asked, still staring at her.

She stopped shifting and tried to smile. "You were in a severe accident and are currently in the Canterlot castle hospital."

"The what?" He asked. He was on the verge of freaking out now.

"The Canterlot castle hospital." She repeated.

Shane leaned back. "Could I look in a mirror or something?" He asked meekly.

"Um, I suppose." She said and walked out of the room. He could hear her talking to someone else outside.

She came back with a small, hand held mirror. "Here." She said and handed it to him.

He looked in it. His eyes were the only thing he recognized about himself. His head was that of a pony.

"Thank you." He said depressed. "Could I have a list of everything that's wrong with me?" He asked.

"I'll check with the doctor." She said and left the room.

Shane stared at the wall glumly.


	5. Chapter 5 interrogation

"My name is Warrant Officer Alex Drent, serial number 35-723-689." Alex repeated for the fourth time. He was sitting in a chair, back straight, starring straight ahead.

"Yes, you've told us that; four times now." Said the unicorn that appeared to be in charge. He wore the bronze armor, but didn't wear the helm. He had a strange mark on his flanks in the shape of a shield with a six pointed star on it. "We just want to know what that thing you were flying in was, and where it came from."

"My name is Warrant Officer Alex Drent, serial number 35-723-689." He said again. He wore no expression as he sat in the chair. He reached up and scratched his head bandage with his hoof.

The unicorn sighed and walked out of the room, almost slamming the door behind him.

Alex wasn't sure if he was a prisoner, but he didn't want to take any chances. He was taught that if you were captured and were being held prisoner you had a right to only say your name, rank, and serial number. His flak jacket and helmet were lying on the table in front of him. He wished he had brought his M9, but it didn't seem necessary at the time.

He and Chris had been picked up by the "royal guard" soon after the crash. Chris had to be transported to the hospital, but Alex had taken very few injuries during the crash. They brought him to this room and had been trying to ask him what various things were. At one point they had dragged a hellfire missile from the Black Hawk in. But he only gave his name, rank, and serial number.

"I hope Shane and Daniel are ok." He said out loud.

"I knew you could say other things!" Alex jumped and spun around. The unicorn was standing next to the door. Apparently he hadn't actually left.

"My name is Warrant Officer Alex Drent, serial number 35-723-689." He said. Alex hoped that would piss him off.

The unicorn scowled at him and actually left the room this time.

Alex smiled and relaxed in the chair a little. _'Might as well get comfortable.'_ He thought.


	6. Chapter 6 shorter

Chris woke up and slowly opened his eyes. He sat up in the bed and stretched while yawning. He rubbed the side of his head while he looked around the room. He was in a small space with three curtain walls. He could hear snoring to his left and pages turning every once and a while to the right.

"I must be in a hospital. I wonder where the others are." He wondered out loud.

A shadow walked over to his curtain and stopped.

"Ah, I hear you are awake, how do you feel?" Asked what he assumed was a nurse.

He thought for a moment then replied, "Shorter."

He heard the nurse outside giggle. "Well I don't know about that, but you did take some pretty heavy hits." The nurse walked in through the curtain. The nurse was a light grey pony in a nurse's gown.

Chris was going to say something but stopped when he saw her walk in. He couldn't help but stare.

The nurse checked his IV then noticed he was staring at her. "Is something wrong?" She asked.

Chris recovered from shock and said, "Sorry, I just couldn't help but stare at your beauty." He said. _'whew, quick thinking on my part.'_

The nurse blushed looked at the floor.

"I need to… uh… check your bandages." She murmured. She took off his sheet and started checking that the bandages were clean and in the proper place. She finished quickly and said, "Rest easy, please don't leave the bed." Then she almost ran from the room.

_'So I'm a pony now eh?" _He thought. He put his head in his hooves and thought about his situation. "Where'd they put my stuff?" He thought out loud.

A unicorn in a doctor's outfit came in after a while. "I need you to sit perfectly still while I examine you, this may itch a little." The unicorn's horn lit up white. Chris did feel an itching sensation, but he was able to ignore it.

"It looks like your ribs have healed just fine; you should be able to leave as soon as we contact the Princess." He said.

"The Princess?" Chris asked. "Who is the princess?"

The doctor looked shocked. "You don't know who the princess is? Princess Celestia?" He asked.

"No, I don't recognize that name." He said.

The doctor shook his head and said, "Alright, what can you remember?" Asked the doctor.

"My name, where I'm from, my military career, most of high school…" He trailed off.

"What?" Asked the doctor confused.

"Never mind." He said. "Just hurry up and contact her, I need to find the rest of my crew."

The doctor looked at him funny, then left.

_'well that didn't go over well.' _He thought.


	7. Chapter 7 awake at last

Shane followed behind the doctor as he led him to Daniel's room.

"Your friend was very close to dying when we got him into the hospital. His spine was fractured, his hind legs were broken, he broke almost all his ribs, there was internal bleeding everywhere and his skull was cracked in three different places. It's a miracle that he hasn't died." The doctor said.

"Has he woken up yet?" Shane asked. He was now wearing the upper portion of his helmet with the shades up and his flak jacket.

"No, not yet. Though he has been muttering something about lights." The doctor replied. "Ah, here we are." He stopped in front of a door and opened it. "We had to use magic to speed the healing just like you. Please call if he wakes up." The doctor turned and walked out of the room.

Shane walked over to the side of Daniel's bed and looked down at him. "Daniel?" He asked softly.

Daniel opened one of his eyes and looked at him. As soon as he saw Shane he jolted awake. "What the hell!" He yelled.

"Daniel! It's me, Shane!" He yelled. Daniel brought his hooves up and clenched his head. "I'm dreaming, I've got to be dreaming!" He said.

"Unfortunately your not, you've turned into a pony like me." Shane said.

The doctor walked in. "Well. I see you're awake now." He said. The doctor's horn lit up as he examined Daniel. "You seem to have healed well; you're free to go whenever." The doctor said.

"Wait, that's it? You don't have to file paper work, or sign him out or something?" Shane asked.

"We normally would, but we have some urgent matters to attend to and we just don't have enough time. Have a nice day." And with that the doctor walked out of the room.

"Well… we should go look for Chris and Alex." Shane said. He walked over to the wall and took down Daniel's flak jacket and helmet.

Daniel shakily stood up and clumsily walked over to Shane. He glanced at Shane's flank and saw the silver bar that represented "Private" rank. "Did you get a tattoo on your ass at some point?" He asked.

"No, why?" Shane responded. He threw Daniel's gear at him.

"It's just that you seem to have a tattoo on your butt." He said.

Shane examined his flanks. "First of all, they're on my flanks; second of all, I have no idea where they came from." He looked over at Daniel's flank. "You have them too, only yours is the '2nd Private' symbol." He said.

Daniel finished putting on his flak jacket so he looked at his flanks. "Whoa! That's just weird!" He said.

Daniel put his helmet on and flipped up the shades. "So, where should we start looking?" He asked.

"We should try asking the nurses and doctors here." Shane responded.

"Well then let's go!" He exclaimed while walking to the door.

"Right behind ya." Responded Shane as he followed Daniel out the door.


	8. Chapter 8 Shinning Armor

The unicorn, whose name he just found out was Shinning Armor, brought Chris in with him this time.

"Chris! It's good to see you're awake!" Alex exclaimed while jumping out of the chair. He walked over thumped him on the shoulder. "How do you feel?" He asked.

"I feel much better than when we… landed." He replied grinning. He thumped Alex on the shoulder. "How about you, do you feel ok?" He asked.

"My head hurts a little, and I'm incredibly bored, but I'm fine." He said grinning back at him.

Shinning Armor spoke up. "Now that you're done greeting each other will you _please _answer some questions?"

"Sure." Said Alex with an evil grin on his face. '_This is going to be fun' _he thought.

"Really? Good! What was the thing you crashed into the mountain with?" He asked.

"Well you see," He whispered leaning in close to Shinning. "I can tell you that my name is Warrant Officer Alex Drent, serial number 35-723-689." He leaned back.

Shinning Armor's mouth twitched once or twice then he yelled, "Oh come on! Can't you tell me anything?"

Alex opened his mouth but Shinning interrupted. "Other than your name and serial number?"

Alex grinned and shook his head. He looked over at Chris who was just shaking his head and trying to suppress laughter.

"Well then can you at least tell me why you keep saying that?" He asked.

"Now _that _I can tell you. According to the war department pamphlet 21-7 I have the right to only tell my captors my name, rank, and serial number. My other rights include the right to be treated humanely, the right to be protected from insults or acts of violence, the right to treatment of injuries, and the right to have clothing, food, and shelter." He said with a straight face. Chris, however, burst out laughing.

"But you aren't a prisoner!" Shinning exclaimed. He was tired of Alex's strange way of saying things and the fact that he wouldn't tell him anything.

"So I can leave right now?" Asked Alex. He looked at the door hopefully.

"Of course not! We aren't done interrogating you!" Shinning said in exasperation.

"Well then as far as I'm concerned, I'm still a prisoner." He said.

"Alex, what possible harm could it do to answer his questions?" Chris asked. "Just answer the questions." He said.

"Yes sir…" Alex said sadly. "The thing we crashed in is called a Black Hawk. It's a utility helicopter for transporting troops and goods." He pointed at the flak jacket on the table. "That is a flak jacket; it's like a more advanced version of your armor." He pointed to his helmet. "That is just the regulation flight helmet; it's a more advanced version of the helmets your guards wear. Lastly, the thing you brought in earlier is called a Hellfire Missile, it's an explosive device fired from Military vehicles. Does that answer your questions, or create more?" He finished.

"I'm not sure what a helicopter is. Everything else makes sense." Shinning said.

"Let Alex leave now, I'll explain what a helicopter is and answer any more questions you have." Said Chris.

"Alright. You're free to go." He waved Alex away. "Now then, what is a helicopter?"

Alex left the room.


	9. Chapter 9 new names

**Dear readers-**

**Thank you for reading my fanfiction. I would appreciate any comments or suggestions regarding the story. I will also accept character ideas. Once again thank you for reading what I have written thus far.**

**Sincerely- Garnetfrog**

A guard led Alex down through the castle to the hospital so that he could find his friends. At the hospital entrance the guard stopped and motioned for him to go inside.

Alex opened the door and stepped inside. He appeared to be in a waiting room with very few ponies in it. He walked up to the reception desk and waited for the pony to notice him.

"Can I help you?" She asked without looking up from her newspaper.

"I'm looking for two ponies, they have the same helmet and jacket that I'm wearing." He gestured to his flak jacket.

The nurse looked up. "Yeah, they're still here, just stay here and I'll go check with the doctors." She set down the paper and walked off through a side door.

Alex walked over to a chair and sat down. _'Every pony here has such strange names, I wonder if I should use my nickname instead of my real name.' _He thought.

A while later the nurse came back and said, "Your friends should be out shortly, I didn't catch your name, what is it?" She asked.

"Oh, my name is Ace." He said. He used his nickname instead of his real name.

"Alright Ace," She said, "Your friends should be out shortly."

Shane and Daniel walked through the door moments later. "Hawkeye! Quick Shot!" He called out when he saw them.

They turned and saw him. "Um… hello, Ace?" Shane responded confused.

Ace walked up to them and whispered to Shane, "Every pony has a strange name, I'm using out nicknames because they're more like what others are named."

"Oh alright, I get it. So now I'm Hawkeye, and Daniel's Quick Shot?" He whispered back.

"Exactly!" Ace said aloud.

"Where's Kestrel then?" Hawkeye Asked using Chris's nickname.

"He's being interrogated by Shinning Armor, the commander of the royal guard." He responded.

They started walking towards the door.

"Why is Chris's nickname Kestrel?" Asked Hawkeye.

"Because he owned a Kestrel before he became a Black Hawk pilot." Ace responded simply.

They exited the hospital and found themselves standing in front of a very large pony with wings and a unicorn horn.

"Well, I see you three are awake and healthy." She said.

"Who are you?" Quick Shot asked; startled by her appearance.

"My name is Princess Celestia, welcome to Canterlot castle."


	10. Chapter 10 insurrection

"Alright, let's go over this one more time. A phone is an electrical device that allows you to talk to someone who is not in the room with you. The phone runs on an electrical device called a battery, the battery supplies power to the phone so that it can be used." Chris explained for the third time.

"But I still don't understand how you can get an electrical charge into something so small!" Shinning armor exclaimed.

There was a knock at the door. Shinning stood up and opened the door to reveal Princess Celestia and three other ponies. "Your majesty!" He exclaimed surprised. "Why are you here?"

"I am here to tell you to let Kestrel go. I think you've questioned him enough." The princess explained.

"Kestrel?" Asked Chris. "Why on earth are you calling me by my-" Ace cut him off. "Kestrel, you remember us right? Ace, Hawkeye, and Quick Shot?" He winked at him.

"Oh, I see. Yes, hello guys." Kestrel said still a little confused. He got out of the chair and walked to them.

"Shinning, please escort these four out." The princess asked.

"Yes your highness." He said.

"Great! Now I can tell you about batteries!" Kestrel said with joy. Shinning armor just groaned.

Pretty soon they were at the front gate of the castle. Shinning Armor stopped and asked. "Do you ponies have jobs?"

"No, I hadn't thought of that! What are we going to do for food and shelter?" Kestrel wondered out loud.

"Well if you can't find a job then come back here and I'm sure I can find something for you to do." Shinning said. He left them standing at the gate.

"What are we going to do?" asked Ace in despair. He tried to think of a job he might be able to do but couldn't think of anything.

"We could become mercenaries." Said Quick Shot.

"We don't have any weapons, and I'm pretty sure there is never going to be a war in this world, everyone is too peaceful." Stated Ace. He looked down at the ground. "Maybe we could find something in town?" He suggested after a moment.

"Sure." Said Hawkeye. The four walked into town and started looking for help wanted signs or anything job related. After almost two hours of walking around they stopped in the central square.

"Sheesh, there are just no jobs!" Hawkeye exclaimed. "Perhaps we should go back to Shinning Armor?" He suggested.

"No, he'll probably make us servants or something." Said Kestrel.

"Well we need some kind of job!" Exclaimed Quick Shot.

A pony in a suit and a top hat nearby overheard his exclamation and walked over. "I couldn't help but hear you're looking for jobs." He said.

"Yeah! You got one for us?" Asked Ace. He looked at the pony hopefully.

"As a matter of fact I do. But first, how good are you at hand to hand combat?" The pony asked.

"Well we each went through extensive hand to hand training, so I'd say pretty good." Quick Shot said. "Why do you ask?"

"Because the job entitles guarding some very precious shipments that need to be delivered to fillydelphia." He stated.

"How much are we getting paid for doing this?" Kestrel asked.

"You will each receive 100 bits for every hour the delivery takes." He replied.

"Hmmm… What do you ponies think?" Asked Kestrel. The others considered it for a while then nodded yes. "You've got yourself a deal mr. ummm… You never said your name." Kestrel said.

"Oh how rude of me, for now you may just call me Mr. Insurrection." He said.

_'That can't be his actual name.' _Kestrel thought. "You've got yourself a deal Mr. Insurrection." He said. "When do we start?"

"As soon as I outfit you with some weapons. Knives should do fine right?" He asked. "Of course they will!" He responded for himself. "Just follow me." He said.

All four of them followed Insurrection as he led them too his house.


	11. Chapter 11 Twilight

"Ah, here we are!" Insurrection exclaimed. He pulled out four daggers in their sheaths. He handed one to each of them.

"Why exactly do you keep daggers in your closet?" Asked Kestrel. He hooked the sheath onto the belt of his flak jacket.

"Where else would I keep them?" He asked. "Now then, I don't want the shipment going on the direct route to Fillydelphia. Instead you'll be taking a longer route that will take about a week to get there and back. It is extremely important that the shipment arrives in tact." Insurrection told the four.

"What about food?" Asked Hawkeye. "Will meals be provided on the journey?"

"Yes, there will be enough food to last the six of you one week." He replied. He walked toward the door, motioning for them to follow.

"Six? There are only four of us." Said Kestrel confused.

"Well how do you think the shipment moves! There will be two others pulling the cart." He responded. He stepped outside and pointed at a large wagon. "The cargo is all loaded; I marked the food boxes so that there are no mistakes. You'll be stopping in Ponyville first. The package marked 'shadow' is to go to the pony in the black cloak. He will approach you. Hand him the package and leave; that is all." He dismissed them with a wave of his hoof.

The four companions left to get in the wagon. Once inside they found that there was only enough room for two of them to sit in so Hawkeye and Ace sat in the front. The two ponies that were to pull the wagon started walking as soon as everyone was settled.

**Ponyville**

The journey to Ponyville was long and boring. Absolutely nothing happened in the three hours it took to get there. As Insurrection had said a pony in a black cloak approached them as soon as they stopped.

Quick Shot grabbed the package marked 'shadow' and got off the wagon. "Here you go." He said. As soon as the pony received the package he walked away.

"We're going to rest a bit. Go explore the town or something; be back by the time the clock strikes three." One of the drivers said.

Kestrel shrugged and just leaned back against the boxes to take a nap. Hawkeye jumped down and started walking toward the center of town. Ace stayed where he was, explaining that the cargo shouldn't be left unguarded. Quick Shot followed Hawkeye.

"It's interesting you know, seeing all these things. They're so similar to back home but yet so different." Quick Shot said.

Hawkeye turned and looked at him. "What are you? A philosopher?" He asked.

Quick Shot just laughed and continued walking behind Hawkeye.

After walking for a while they came upon a large tree with a door in it. A sign out front had a picture of a book on it.

"Is this a library?" Asked Hawkeye examining the sign. He walked up to the door and knocked on it.

A purple unicorn answered the door. "Hi, can I help you?" She asked.

"Is this a library?" Asked Hawkeye. Quick shot walked up next to him and looked inside the door. _'Sure looks like a library'_ he thought.

"Yes it is, is there a particular book you're looking for?" She asked.

"I need a book on geography and astronomy." Hawkeye said.

"Sure, follow me." The unicorn walked inside the tree. Hawkeye followed her in with Quick Shot following close behind. "What do you need geography and astronomy for?" Whispered Quick Shot.

"I'm just curious." He replied. The unicorn used magic to pull two books off the shelves. "My name is Twilight Sparkle by the way. What's your name?" She asked smiling as she handed him the books.

"I'm Hawkeye, and this is Quick Shot. It's nice to meet you Miss. Sparkle." He responded. He set the books on the table in the center of the room and opened the geography book.

"Please, you can call me Twilight." She said. "Why do you need those books anyway?" She asked.

"I just need to check something." He flipped to a page with the world map on it. "Wow." He said. "Wasn't expecting that." He said. He opened the astronomy book.

"What's wrong?" Asked Twilight. She was completely confused now.

Hawkeye found a map of all the constellations. "Fascinating." He said.

"What's up?" Asked Quick Shot. He walked over and looked down at the book.

"The constellations are similar to the ones where we're from. But we can't be where we're from; the landmass doesn't look anything like any continents or countries I've seen." Hawkeye said.

"What the buck are you talking about?" Exclaimed Twilight. She looked at them angrily.

"Thank you for letting me read these books; but we really should be going now." Hawkeye said. He handed the books back to Twilight and motioned for Quick Shot to follow.

Twilight was too stunned to say anything until the door was closed and the two ponies were gone.

"What was that all about?" She asked to no one in particular.


	12. Chapter 12 invitation

Ace was sitting on the seat of the wagon when he go the feeling that someone was watching him. He sat up and looked around. He slowly turned his head from left to right, searching for movement. Seeing no one around he went back to looking straight ahead.

"Hi!" He was so startled he fell out of his seat. The voice had come from a pink pony that he hadn't noticed sitting next to him.

"What the? How did you?" He couldn't finish his questions from shock. "Who are you?" He finally managed to say.

"My name is Pinkie pie! It's so nice to meet you! You must be new here because I've never seen you before and I would remember seeing a pony like you because I know every pony in Ponyville!" She talked so fast that he could hardly keep up with what she was saying.

"No, I'm not from around here." Ace said. He stood up and brushed himself off.

"That's a really funny outfit you're wearing! What's the vest for? Why are you wearing that hat? Are you wearing a knife on your belt? What's it for?" She asked.

"Err… I uh…" He couldn't remember half of the questions she'd asked him.

Pinkie pie gasped. "I know what I should do! I'll throw a party for you and your friends! A welcome party! I've got to get ready!" She was about to run off.

"Wait! We aren't staying here. We're leaving in about an hour to go to Fillydelphia! We don't have time for a party." He said.

"You have plenty of time for a party! Just go to Sugarcube corner right now!" She ran off.

"Wait! What?" He shook his head in confusion. He noticed Hawkeye and Quick Shot walking toward him.

"Who was that?" Asked Hawkeye. He stopped in front of Ace.

"I don't know, but apparently there's a party for us at a place called Sugarcube corner." He said a little dazed from his encounter.

"Well then let's go check it out." Quick Shot said. He started walking in a random direction.

"Wait. We don't know where this place is, and what about the shipment?" He asked.

One of the two drivers stood up from where he was sitting in the shade and walked over. "Sugarcube corner is that way; we'll guard the stuff while you're gone." He said. He pointed down a wide street.

"Well… I don't know…" Ace said. He looked at Hawkeye and Quick Shot.

"I don't care if we go or not." Said Hawkeye. "I don't see any reason why not to."

"I want to go! I'm really hungry and they probably have food there!" Quick Shot said.

"There's food in the cart!" Protested Ace. He didn't notice Kestrel walking over to them.

"I think we should go. It can't be that bad." Kestrel responded.

Ace started in surprise and turned to him. "I thought you were taking a nap." He said. He pointed at him accusingly.

"I woke up." He said simply. "So then its decided, we'll go to the… ah… party." He said. He walked off toward Sugarcube corner with Hawkeye and Quick Shot following.

"Ah… fine…" Ace said in defeat. He followed them gloomily toward the store.


	13. Chapter 13 party

Hawkeye pushed open the door to the store to find that none of the lights were on. "Well then. I guess no one-" The lights turned on suddenly.

"Surprise!" Shouted six voices. Two unicorns, two ponies, and two pegasi popped out from behind different objects in the room while confetti fell from the ceiling.

The four walked into the room and looked around. There was a cake, a table with a punch bowl, and a banner that said 'Welcome to Ponyville' with temporarily painted under it.

"How did you manage to set this up in the five minutes it took for us to get here!" Ace exclaimed surprised.

"Oh silly! It's easy to do with the party canon!" Pinkie pie exclaimed happily.

"The what?" Asked Quick Shot confused. He walked over to the cake and examined it.

"Oh! Now I have to introduce you to my friends! This is Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow dash, Fluttershy, Twilight and me!" Pinkie pie giddily said while pointing at each of them.

"I'm Hawkeye, this is Ace, he's Kestrel, and that's Quick Shot over there." Hawkeye said.

"You all look similar." Pointed out Rainbow dash as she flew down from her hiding spot.

"Way to observe Captain obvious!" Said Ace sarcastically. Hawkeye nudged him and glared. "What?" He asked confused.

"Let's get this party started!" Shouted Pinkie pie. There were suddenly two very large amps and a pony with a DJ set behind her.

"Were those there before?" Music blared as the pony at the DJ set turned it on. Twilight shook her head and looked at the floor. While the other five started dancing and drinking punch.

"Why not." Said Kestrel as he very clumsily started dancing and laughing with the others. Ace walked over to the punch table and cautiously took a sip of punch. He liked it so he took a scoop of punch. It came up with a baby alligator in it. All he could do was stare at the alligator blankly from surprise. After a moment he lowered the alligator back into the punch bowl. Quick Shot somehow got himself into a cake eating contest with Rainbow dash. Hawkeye stood in the corner awkwardly.

"Um… excuse me… I'm sorry to bother you, but is there something wrong?" Fluttershy asked next to him.

He looked over at her and tried to smile. "No, I just don't feel like partying at the moment." He said. He went back to awkwardly staring at the others.

"Oh… ok, I'm sorry to bother you." She said softly while looking at the floor.

"It's ok! Really, I don't mind talking." He said trying to cheer her up. He tried to think of something that she would want to talk about. "So, what do you do around here?" He asked.

She brightened up a little and told him all about all the animals she took care of.

The music stopped suddenly. "Since we don't have very much time I think we should stop partying and start getting to know each other better!" Pinkie pie announced from on top of one of the speakers.

Quick Shot's perverted mind made him snicker at her comment. Ace face hoofed and shook his head.

They all sat in the center of the floor and asked the four friends questions.

"Where are you from?" Asked Twilight. She hoped to get him to say something that might explain why he acted the way he did in the library.

"I don't think we should answer that question. Sorry." Said Hawkeye before any one else could speak. The others looked at him funny then turned their attention back to the six ponies.

"What hideous outfits! Where in Equestria did you find such horrible attire?" Asked Rarity.

Hawkeye, Quick Shot, and Ace all laughed at her question. "What do you mean? They are standard military issue where we're from. They're not supposed to be pretty; they just need to stop a bullet." Kestrel said.

"What in tarnation is a 'bullet'" Asked applejack confused.

"Don't answer that." Said Hawkeye cutting Kestrel off.

"Why not answer the question? Why are you guys being so mysterious?" Asked Rainbow dash. She wore an expression on her face that made her look as though she wanted to fight.

"We really should be going now actually." Hawkeye was starting to get nervous. He looked at the clock hanging on the wall and saw that it was about time to leave.

The four of them started backing out of the door while the six, excluding Fluttershy, walked toward them angrily.

"Run for it?" Asked Quick Shot. "Definitely." Replied Hawkeye. All four of them bolted out the door and ran for the cart.

"That was very weird. We should keep an eye on them if they're ever back in town." Twilight said. The others agreed. "We should also make them new outfits if they come back." Said Rarity. Twilight groaned and closed the shop door.


	14. Chapter 14 attacked

**This chapter is a tad longer than the others**

When the four arrived at the wagon they looked around to make sure they weren't followed. They each got into their positions and waited for the drivers to start pulling them.

"Did you have fun at your party?" Asked one of them as he put on the harness to pull the cart.

"It was fine, can we get going soon?" Kestrel said nervously. He noticed Hawkeye looking at him funny. "What?" He asked.

"Well, you're afraid that six _female _ponies are going to jump us and force answers from us. It's just a little funny." He said trying to hold back laughter.

The wagon jolted as the two drivers started walking forward. Every one was silent as they left the small town of Ponyville.

**Third day of travel**

The trip had been uneventful and boring so when they finally saw the city of Fillydelphia they were excited. Everyone including the drivers were itching to take a rest from traveling so much.

"We're almost there! I can't wait to see the city!" Hawkeye exclaimed in delight. He smiled happily as he watched the city grow bigger.

Kestrel was just as excited, he kept looking from the road back to the city. He turned to look at the side of the road. A bush near a tree shook. "That's weird." He said out loud.

"What's up?" Asked Hawkeye. He looked at Kestrel worried.

"There haven't been any bushes for the past five hours, and the first one we see moves." He said. He reached down and pulled out his dagger.

"It was probably just an animal moving from the bush." Hawkeye said; though he drew his knife as well.

Kestrel glanced up ahead and noticed that there was a small stretch of road with a lot of bushes on either side. _'Are they trying to be stealthy? If they are they're really bad at it.' _He thought. He thumped the crate behind him twice.

"What?" Asked Quick Shot from the other side, he sounded slightly annoyed for some reason.

"Get your knife ready, we may need to fight." He said. The more he analyzed the situation, the more he thought that something was wrong. _'This shipment is apparently very important. An important shipment wouldn't be attacked by just every day thieves if they knew there were guards. A trained outfit of rouges, however, would probably use deception and try to draw their target's eyes away from where they were going to attack.' _He thought as quickly as he could because soon they would arrive at the patch of bushes.

_'that bush back there could have been a way to get me to be suspicious of the bushes and therefore draw my attention away from the real hiding spots. But where could they hide?'_ He looked around for things that a pony could hide behind. He couldn't see anything that a pony could hide behind other than the bushes. He kept searching though, he looked to one side just as a unicorn in a black jump suit and mask uncloaked and fired a bolt of magic straight at him. "Get down!" He yelled while pulling Hawkeye to the floor with him. The bolt flew over them and dissipated a little ways away.

"Holy shit! Where'd that-" Hawkeye looked to his right and saw two unicorns uncloak and fire at the wagon. One of the bolts cut the drivers off of the wagon, while the other shattered a wheel. The wagon lurched to the right and sent Hawkeye tumbling off. He did a somersault and landed on his feet, he didn't hesitate a moment and began charging at the two unicorns.

They obviously weren't expecting that to happen because all they could do was back up a couple of steps before Hawkeye was in-between them. He rammed the one to his left and ducked as the other fired a bolt at him. He turned his duck into an uppercut that sent the unicorn backwards almost three feet. He turned and sliced the other one with his knife. The jump suit appeared to be stab proof though.

Meanwhile on the other side of the wagon Kestrel was fighting off two other unicorns. These two decided to fight hand to hand though. He punched and kicked but the two of them combined were a good match for him. He jumped over one of them and turned to face him. He tried to keep the other unicorn on the other side of the one he was fighting. The tactic worked because he soon had the one he was fighting incapacitated.

Quick Shot and Ace stayed on the cart incase any more appeared and went after the cargo. The drivers had dove into the bushes to hide the moment they were cut loose. _'big help they are.' _Thought Ace.

Hawkeye had knocked out one of his opponents and was facing the second. The second one stopped and light glowed around its horn. Hawkeye tensed, ready for another bolt but instead the unicorn disappeared in a flash of light. Both of the unicorns on the other side did the same. Hawkeye dragged the unicorn over to a tree and sat him up against it. He then took off his mask and threw it aside. The unicorn was a light red color with a dark red mane.

The unicorn woke up after a minute or so and was surprised to see two earth ponies standing over him. One of them was holding a knife to his throat. "What? How did you? Where are?" He was terrified.

"Don't even think of using magic. Now what is your name?" Asked Hawkeye, he pressed his knife into the unicorn's throat a little harder to emphasize the threat.

"B-bolt." He stammered as he stared at the knife. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead and landed on the ground next to him.

"Why did you attack us?" Kestrel asked. "I was ordered to! I don't know why, I just had to because it was my orders! I swear I-" Hawkeye cut him off. "Stop babbling!" He pressed the knife a little harder making a drop of blood dribbled down Bolt's neck. He gulped and started trembling.

"We fixed the wagon!" Called out Ace. He slapped the side of it for emphasis. Hawkeye looked back at the wagon and pulled his knife away from Bolt's throat. He turned back and glared at bolt. "I currently have no reason to kill you. You'd better not give me one while we travel to Fillydelphia. In fact, why don't you just teleport away like your friends did." He said.

The unicorn nodded vigorously. His horn started to glow red. After a moment he vanished in a flash of light like the other three had.

"Are you sure we should have let him go?" Asked Kestrel. He looked around worriedly.

"I don't know. But I wasn't hired to kill. I was hired to protect this shipment and that's exactly what I plan to do." Hawkeye said. He walked back to the wagon, sheathing his knife as he went. Kestrel followed behind him.


	15. Chapter 15 warnings

"So where exactly are we supposed to drop off the shipment? Insurrection never told us." Said Ace. He was a little worried that they'd be attacked again so he wanted to finish the delivery as quickly as possible.

"We're just supposed to leave the wagon in front of an old warehouse near the edge of town." Said one of the drivers. They turned down a side street and kept going straight for a long time. At last they turned a corner and were in front of an old warehouse. A pony was standing out front waiting for them.

"Ah, right on time as usual. I see insurrection has hired some guards, about time too." The pony said. He was Dark grey with a light red mane. His cutie mark was in the shape of three boxes stacked in a pyramid. _'I suppose that means he's in the shipping business.' _Thought Hawkeye.

"Yup; got a hundred of them just like you ordered. There was a little run in with some rouges on the way here so we want a larger payment." Said the driver who usually spoke.

"I see. Fine then, help me unload the crates and then we'll talk pay." He said. "I thought we were just supposed to leave the cart and go." Said the driver who rarely ever spoke.

"There was a change of plans, my workers were *ahem* injured in their line of work." He looked in the back of the wagon once Quick Shot and Ace got out. He nodded to the drivers and started unloading the crates.

"May I ask what it is we were shipping?" Asked Kestrel. He watched the three as they unloaded the crates. The pony in charge looked over at him. "If insurrection didn't tell you there's a reason. I can't tell you if he didn't." He said.

When the last crate was unloaded the three ponies walked into the building to talk. Kestrel turned to the other three. "There's something wrong here…" Ace laughed and said, "What was your first clue? The fact that we were attacked by trained professionals, or the fact that we aren't allowed to know what's in the crates?" Kestrel glared at him and turned to the building. "I'm just getting a feeling that something really bad is going to come of this… for now we'll just have to wait." He said.

Just then bolt happened to turn a corner and found himself face to face with the four soldiers. He started in surprise and backed up a pace. "Bolt?" Asked Hawkeye in surprise. Bolt gulped and rubbed his throat, "P-please don't hurt m-me." He said while backing up another pace.

"Wait, who is your employer? Do you know why he wanted this shipment not to arrive?" Hawkeye asked. Bolt backed up a few more paces. "I can't tell you, I'm sorry. But if you want to stay out of harms way I suggest you find a different job." He turned and ran for it. "Wait!" Shouted Hawkeye; but Bolt didn't slow down.

The two drivers walked out of the warehouse and got back into their positions. "We're leaving now." One of them said clearly upset. The four soldiers mounted the wagon and waited to start moving. "Did something happen?" Asked Hawkeye. The two started walking toward the entrance to town. "Just didn't get as much as we were hoping for." He responded. They walked on in silence. Hawkeye glanced down an alleyway and saw Bolt standing in it, watching them as they passed.


	16. Chapter 16 a new job offer

The trip back to Canterlot was as uneventful as the trip to Fillydelphia. The drivers made their way to insurrection's house. Insurrection was out front waiting for them. "Ah, good to see you back in one piece. How went the trip?" He asked as he led them inside.

"It was uneventful until we reached Fillydelphia. On the outskirts of town we were attacked by four unicorns wearing black jump suits and masks." Replied Kestrel. They stopped around a large round table.

"Alright, one hundred bits every hour for seven days… that comes to 16,800 bits each." He took a box out from the closet and handed them each a large bag of coins. "There is a bank just up the road if you want to deposit that. I have another job for you if you want." He said. He looked at them with a smile.

Kestrel motioned for the other three to talk with him. "I don't think we should do this job, the last job was not only boring, but we were attacked. We don't even know what it is we're transporting!" He whispered to them. "Besides, this amount of money should last us a pretty long time." He added.

"I agree, but there's no harm in having extra money on hand." Said Quick Shot. He opened his money bag to look at the bits inside.

"I say we refuse his offer if he doesn't tell us what the shipments are." Said Hawkeye. He glanced over at insurrection. "Then we decide if we want to continue working for him." He said.

"I like that idea." Added Ace. Quick Shot and Kestrel nodded in agreement as well. They all turned and faced Insurrection. "We'll continue to guard your shipments as long as you tell us what you are transporting." Kestrel said.

Insurrection frowned at his response. "I'm sorry but I can't tell you what you're guarding yet… but I do need guards… you've put me in a very difficult situation…" He started pacing up and down the floor. "I will have to think about this. The shipment wont be ready to send until tomorrow, come back then and I'll tell you my answer." He kept pacing while they left.

"Alright then. What should we do?" Asked Hawkeye. He had his bag of money attached to his flak vest.

"Well first we should deposit our bits at that bank, then I think we should visit Shinning Armor to tell him about these events. He might have some advice for us." Said Kestrel.

"If you say so." Responded Hawkeye as they walked toward the bank.

They entered the bank and walked up to different bank tellers. They each set up an account and deposited all but 100 bits. They met outside and started the walk to the castle.


	17. Chapter 17 advice

On the way to the castle they came across a bruised unicorn who was limping badly. "Hey! Are you ok?" Asked Hawkeye as they rushed over. The unicorn looked behind him and jumped. "Oh crap!" He said and limped off as fast as he could. "What?" Hawkeye thought out loud.

"You don't suppose he was one of the unicorns that attacked us?" Asked Quick Shot. He looked after the unicorn. As the unicorn turned a corner there was a bright flash.

"Well, now we'll never know." Said Ace. They continued walking toward the castle but were more alert in case the unicorn had run off to get help.

They arrived at the gates and attempted to go in. The two guards crossed their spears, blocking the path. "No pony is allowed in with out a scheduled meeting." They said.

"We just need to talk to Shinning Armor." Said Kestrel. He watched as the two guards looked at each other. One of them stepped into the center of the path as the other flew off toward the castle.

A while later the guard walked back with Shinning Armor behind him. He looked at the four and smiled. "Well hello, do you need those jobs I offered?" He asked. "No, we need your advice though. Our new job is… mysterious." Kestrel said.

"Let them through." Shinning said. He led them up into the castle. He guided them up to what appeared to be his room. "Now we can talk privately, what is so mysterious about your job?" He asked them.

"Well… first off our employer won't tell us his real name. He calls himself Insurrection. He gives us jobs shipping things, but he won't tell us what it is we're guarding. Another thing is that we were attacked on our first delivery. He made it very clear that we're guarding something very important. He also gave us nearly 17,000 bits a piece for that one job." Kestrel explained.

A pink alicorn walked into the room from outside. "Oh, guests! Shinning, who are these ponies?" She asked. "I'm sorry Cadence; this will only take a couple of minutes. You remember that helicopter thing that crashed into the mountain?" He asked her.

"Yes, about eight days ago right? Is this about that?" She asked. "No, these are the ponies who were involved in the crash. Ace, Kestrel, Quick Shot, and Hawkeye. They're just asking for some advice." He said. "I'm sorry; this is my wife Princess Cadence." He told the four of them.

"It's nice to meet you. We are sorry to have come without warning." Said Kestrel. The princess smiled at them. "It's alright, is this something that can be disused with me around?" She asked.

"Well I don't see any harm too it." Said Kestrel. "What do you think we should do?" He said turning his attention back to Shinning Armor.

"I don't know. It certainly does sound strange… if anything suspicious happens tell me. I don't like the sound of what you're saying." He said.

"Alright, he's given us a job offer. I think we'll accept it, the last shipment was going to Fillydelphia just so you know." He said. Shinning Armor nodded his head. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention. From now on if you want to talk with me just show the guards this." He quickly wrote something on a piece of paper and handed it to them. "I'll have someone keep an eye on Fillydelphia just in case." He said.

"Thank you for your help. Also, we don't have a place to sleep for the night, is there a hotel or inn near by?" Asked Kestrel.

"Well, there's one near the gate, and another up the road…" He cut off as he saw Cadence starring at him. "What?" He asked. "Don't be rude; invite them to stay in the castle!" She said. Shinning sighed and turned to Kestrel. "Or you could stay in the castle for tonight if you want." He said.

Kestrel smiled but declined the offer even after Cadence tried to convince them to stay. "We're fine with an inn. Besides, our employer may become suspicious if he heard that we stayed in the castle over night."

"Alright, I'll have one of the guards escort you to the gates. Have a nice day." Shinning said. "Good bye! Be safe with your job!" Called Cadence as the left the room.


	18. Chapter 18 return to Ponyville

The next morning the four set out to Insurrection's house. It was pretty early so there weren't very many ponies out and about. Hawkeye knocked on the door when they arrived at his house and waited for him to answer. A moment later Insurrection opened the door. "Ah, welcome you four. Please come inside." He ushered them inside. Quick Shot noticed that he looked around the street before closing the door softly.

"I've decided that if you promise not to tell any pony I will tell you what it is you're guarding." He looked at them calmly.

"We agree." Responded Kestrel. "But first, where is this next delivery going?" He asked.

"Your next delivery is to go to Stalliongrad. I also have another package for shadow so you'll have to stop in Ponyville first. It will only take about four days to get there and back." He said.

"Alright, now what is it we're guarding?" Kestrel asked. "You're guarding special devices that can stop unicorns from using magic. It is an ingenious invention that allows the controller to regulate what spells unicorns can use. For example if a unicorn wanted to levitate an object they'd have to get permission from a controller first." He said. He smiled as though he were proud of his invention.

"Why would you need a device like that? That seems a little strange." Hawkeye said. He watched as Insurrection smiled and looked at him in a pitying way. "Well how else would you prevent unicorn prisoners from escaping a jail?" He said. "Anyway, the wagon should be ready by now. As it was before you will receive one-hundred bits for every hour on the job." He motioned for them to leave.

The four companions left the house and saw the wagon was ready to go. There were two different drivers this time though. They got into their positions and settled in for a long ride.

**Ponyville**

They arrived at Ponyville in three hours like the last time. When they stopped the cloaked pony approached again. Instead of handing the pony the package Quick Shot put his head in one of his hoofs while leaning on it. "Can I help you?" He asked in a sweet voice.

The pony didn't move or speak. After a minute he gave up and handed over the package. The pony ran off. He watched the pony leave with a bored expression on his face. "Sheesh, won't even speak to us."

Twilight happened to be walking in the area and spotted the wagon. She walked over and was surprised to see Hawkeye and Kestrel sitting in the front of it. "You two!" She exclaimed. They jumped and spun around to face her. "What do you want?" Asked Kestrel. She glared at them and said. "I still want to know what you four were talking about the last time we met. Why can't you explain what a bullet is? Where are you from? Where did your strange outfits come from?" She took a step forward with every question.

"Just move along Unicorn, you don't want trouble do you?" Said one of the drivers. He pulled a dagger out of a sheath on one of his legs. Twilight glared at him, then back at Hawkeye and Kestrel. She turned and walked away with her head in the air.

"Can we go soon? There are five other ponies I don't want to see here." He said. The drivers nodded and started walking out of town.


	19. Chapter 19 the signs of war

The trip from Canterlot to Stalliongrad was very eventful. The wagon was attacked five times on the way to Stalliongrad. Each attack had been fended off, but each time they were attacked the attackers were more skilled. They were only ever attacked by unicorns. When the group finally arrived in Canterlot they were exhausted. Insurrection paid them extra because they were able to get the shipment to the city in one piece regardless of the attacks.

The days went by and they guarded shipments going out to cities such as Appleloosa and Hoofswell. The attacks were getting worse with each journey. At one point they had to fight for nearly an hour straight before the unicorns retreated. Each time they left they had to stop in Ponyville to drop off another package to "Shadow" and each time they went to Ponyville they were questioned by one of the six ponies they had met at the party.

One day when they had returned from Stableside Insurrection told them to meet him inside. They followed him into his dimly lit house. "You have all been doing an excellent job. You've successfully guarded every shipment without loosing any of the cargo. This is why it saddens me to say that we will not be working together any more. All necessary shipments have been made so your job is done." He said.

They walked from his house in relief. "No more having to be constantly on alert!" Exclaimed Quick Shot as they walked along. "No more of that dry travel food!" Exclaimed Ace happily. "No more sleeping on the cold ground at night!" Added Hawkeye gleefully. "I think we should tell Shinning about what we've been shipping; we could also ask him what he had in mind for jobs." Said Kestrel. He looked back at the others and smiled. "That sound good to you ponies?" He asked.

Kestrel held up the note to the guards guarding the entrance to the castle. They nodded and let them pass through. They traveled into the castle and asked one of the staff members where they could find Shinning Armor. The pony told them that he was meeting with his sister in his room and probably wouldn't want visitors. They convinced him to lead them to his room anyway.

Kestrel knocked on the door twice and stood back. It opened a moment later to reveal twilight. She jumped when she saw them. "You ponies!" She exclaimed in surprise. "Us ponies!" Exclaimed Quick Shot with enthusiasm. Hawkeye bumped him with his shoulder and snickered. Shinning armor appeared in the door way. "Oh you four, did you find anything out?" He asked. "Yes, it's urgent and we need to speak right now." Kestrel said. Shinning armor looked apologetically at Twilight and let the four in.

"Insurrection told us what we've been shipping when we got back from our last job. He said that since our job was over he didn't need to keep the secret from us." Kestrel lied. "He told us that we've been guarding devices that can prevent unicorns from using magic. We've been shipping them all over Equestria too. I think we've been to every city on this continent." Said Kestrel calmly. Shinning Armor rubbed his chin and looked at the wall thoughtfully. "Care to explain what's going on?" Asked Twilight in an annoyed voice. Shinning Armor looked at Kestrel. Kestrel nodded as if to say 'go ahead and tell her'. He turned to twilight and filled her in on everything from the crash to the present moment.

Twilight shook her head in disbelief. "That's incredible! Something bad must be happening!" She said. Quick Shot snorted and muttered "The metal of observation goes to captain obvious!" Hawkeye tried to suppress laughter. Twilight glared at them and went back to talking to Shinning Armor. "What do you suppose all this means?" She asked.

"Where we come from, a mass shipment of things like that could be the beginnings of a civil war. One party decides they don't like how things are going so they start discreetly sending weapons to other members of that party. Once everything is in place they begin their attack by suddenly attacking a lot of targets at once. At least that's what I think is happening here." Kestrel said.

Shinning considered this conclusion for a while. "It certainly could be possible… though there hasn't been a war in several hundred years." He said. Kestrel looked at him and said, "Well you should prepare for a war any way. I'm a trained military pony; I know the signs of a war." Hawkeye snorted and rolled his eyes.

"I'll talk to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna about this. In the meantime I think you should stay in the castle so we can reach you easily." Shinning said. Kestrel nodded his head in agreement.


	20. Chapter 20 the meeting

One night Hawkeye was walking through the halls of the castle because he couldn't sleep. He wandered around aimlessly until he found himself face to face with Bolt. They both jumped when they saw each other. "Oh! Ah, hello Bolt…" Hawkeye said awkwardly. Bolt smiled nervously and said, "I heard you stopped working for Insurrection." Hawkeye smiled a little and nodded yes.

They stood there in awkward silence for the next minute or so. "I need to be somewhere…" Bolt Said at last. "Yeah, I should probably go back to the room I'm staying in…" They both started walking the same direction. "So… I guess now that I'm not working for Insurrection we don't have to be enemies, right?" Hawkeye asked. "I suppose not… although the fact that you were helping him may be a problem." Bolt responded.

"We just needed money and he was the only pony who had job openings." Hawkeye explained. Bolt shook his head. "A lot of my… colleagues… wouldn't trust you anyway." Bolt said. Hawkeye thought for a while then turned to Bolt. "What exactly is it you and your colleagues are doing?" He asked.

Bolt looked at him. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell you… we're a secret organization that makes sure nothing happens to disrupt the current peace. We've been suspicious of this insurrection character for quite some time now." Bolt said. "So we've been helping someone who may cause a war?" Asked Hawkeye in shock.

"Pretty much. I just wish we knew what it is he was shipping everywhere." Said Bolt. Bolt stopped in front of a pair of very large doors. "This is where I need to go. I guess I'll see you around?" He asked. "Wait." Said Hawkeye. "What if I told you I knew what Insurrection was shipping?" Bolt looked at him in surprise. "You know?" Hawkeye nodded his head. "We told him that unless he told us what we were shipping we wouldn't continue guarding them."

"That's great! Would you mind telling me?" Bolt asked excited. Hawkeye looked at him and said. "I'll tell if you bring me to your… colleagues." He said. Bolt's smile turned into a frown. "I don't know…" He said. "If I tell you, I want to say it in front of your superiors as well." Hawkeye said. "Fine." Bolt said angrily. He pushed the doors open and motioned for Hawkeye to follow him in.

Hawkeye walked in and saw five long tables in rows with unicorns filling up every one. At the head of the tables was a raised platform where Princess Celestia and Princess Luna sat. A unicorn with a clipboard spoke up when he arrived. "Thank you for joining us Bolt, please take your-" She cut off when she saw Hawkeye. "Bolt. Did you bring this pony with you?" She asked. "Yes I did." He said. "He has information that can help us; he refused to tell me unless he could say it in front of my superiors." He replied. The unicorn was about to speak when Princess Celestia cut her off. "Well in that case we shall welcome him as a guest. Please take your seat Bolt. Hawkeye, if you could just stand by the door until we need you." The unicorn with the clipboard was about to protest but stopped when she saw the Princess looking at her intently.

Hawkeye couldn't understand most of what they talked about at the meeting. They talked about towns where unicorns were positioned, cities that didn't have enough members posted there, and all sorts of other things that sounded a lot like military strategizing to Hawkeye. After about two hours Princess Celestia called for Hawkeye to come to the front of the room. He stepped up in front of the five tables. "Bolt tells us that you have information that could be useful for us." She said. "Could you please tell everypony what this information is?" Hawkeye cleared his throat and slowly  
looked at the tables. "I know what Insurrection has been shipping." There was instantly an uproar of questions. Princess Celestia calmed them down. "I know this information because Insurrection told me himself. We've been Guarding these shipments for a while now, some of you may recognize me if you were on any of the teams that attacked the shipments." A couple of them leaned forward to get a better look at him. He saw a couple start in surprise. "Please tell everyone exactly _what _it is you were guarding." Said Princess Luna impatiently. "We've been guarding shipments of devices that can prevent unicorns from using magic." He said. There was another uproar of gasps and exclamations of disbelief.

Somepony in the back of the room shouted, "How do we know he isn't lying!" There were a lot of muttered agreements. Princess Celestia turned to Hawkeye. "Will you consent to having your mind searched?" She asked. "Only if you're checking through my memories of Insurrection." He said. The princess nodded and motioned for the pony with the clipboard to come over. Hawkeye watched as her horn started glowing. Moments later he started to get a headache. She cut off the spell and turned to the princesses. "He is telling the truth." She said.


	21. Chapter 21 bad news

The meeting ended shortly after Hawkeye told them what he knew. Most of the unicorns teleported away but a few, like Bolt, walked out of the room. He waited until all the others had left before approaching the princesses. "My deepest apologies your highnesses, my friends and I had no idea what was going on when we took the job." He bowed his head. "You've done nothing wrong. The shipments most likely would have been made regardless of your help." Princess Celestia said. Hawkeye looked up at them. "If there's anything we can do to help just ask." He said. Princess Celstia nodded her head and dismissed him. Both of the Princesses walked from the room.

Hawkeye saw Bolt waiting for him outside the door. "You've done a good thing by telling us that information." Bolt said. Hawkeye smiled sadly and nodded. "I just wish we hadn't accepted that job. It makes me feel bad that we contributed to starting a war." He said. Bolt smiled and put a hoof on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it, a war probably would have broken out without you guys. All you did was speed up the inevitable." He frowned. "That came out wrong." Hwakeye cheered up a little. "It's ok. I get your point." They walked toward Hawkeye's room together.

Hawkeye stopped in front of his door. "I suppose I can't tell the others about this, right?" Bolt shook his head. "I wouldn't, but I suppose that's up to you." Bolt bid him a good night and walked off down the hall. Hawkeye walked into his room and got into his bed. "Where did you go?" He heard next to him. He turned to look at Quick Shot. "Just exploring the castle a little." He said. Quick Shot rolled his eyes and turned over to go to sleep. Hawkeye sat in his bed for a while before finally laying down and falling asleep.

The next morning brought bad news. While the four were eating breakfast Bolt burst in. "Hawkeye, Princess Celestia needs to see you!" He looked at the other three. "Oh hi. Remember me?" He didn't wait for an answer as Hawkeye ran out of the room. Bolt shut the door and led Hawkeye back to the meeting room. Bolt opened the door and the two hurried inside. Inside were the five tables, but considerably empty. There were probably only twenty unicorns. Bolt took his seat and Hawkeye stood near the door like he did last time. Princess Celestia stood up and spoke. "If everyone is here-" She was cut off by a flash of light as three unicorns appeared in the back of the room. Each one looked as though they had been beaten badly. One of them looked unconscious. After a moment a few more appeared. Then more. When they took their seats the total number of ponies in the room was still less than fifty.

"Are all of you alright?" Princess Luna asked. "Ambushed…" One of them muttered. One spoke up clearer, "Units all over the city of Stalliongrad were assaulted. We were only barely able to get away." Another one spoke up. "Same thing happened in Appleloosa, except that only two were taken since so few are stationed there." He said. Another pony near the back of the room spoke up as well. "Only the two of us managed to get away from Hoofington." Hawkeye couldn't believe what he was hearing. "That means we're missing every pony from squads in New Saddle, Canterbury, Stableside, Fillydelphia, Trottingham, Derbyshire, Trottawa, Halifanks, and Hoofswell." Said the unicorn with the clipboard.


	22. Chapter 22 battle strategy

All around the room murmurs could be heard. Hawkeye just stood in shock. Princess Celestia silenced everypony in the room. "Everypony please remain calm. I received a message from Insurrection this morning. He has declared war on unicorns; he launched surprise attacks all over Equestria last night and this morning." Everypony was silent as they listened to her explain the situation.

"What are we going to do? We don't have nearly enough ponies to fight him!" Someone toward the front called out. Hawkeye spoke up, "I know where Insurrection used to live, did he move?" He asked. Princess Luna shook her head. "He explained in his letter that he moved somewhere else last night." Hawkeye closed his eyes and tilted his head toward the ground. There was a knock at the door. Princess Celestia opened the door with magic to reveal Quick Shot, Kestrel, and Ace. Kestrel looked around the room and saw Hawkeye standing next to the door. "Care to explain, Private?" He asked in an annoyed voice.

After the situation was explained to the others the meeting continued. Four of the tables were removed from the room so everypony could sit in one area. Princess Celestia unrolled a map of Equestria on the table. "Insurrection has taken control of every city except for Canterlot. His next move will probably be to take Canterlot over and take control of the castle so we should begin by fortifying the town. She pointed to locations on the map where various barricades should be made.

Hawkeye interrupted her. "Yes, I agree with barricades, but you're spreading them kind of thin don't you think?" Princess Luna shouted at him, "YOU WILL NOT INTERUPT THE PRINCESS WHILE SHE IS TALKING!" He stared at her wide eyed. "Calm down sister. What do you suggest Hawkeye?" She asked. "Well how many troops do you have at your disposal?" He asked.

"I don't know… Shinning Amor might though, someone go fetch him please." She turned her attention back to the map. Hawkeye thought for a moment then pointed to the main streets. "I'd put barricades every hundred feet or so on the main streets, put the most soldiers at the first one, then maybe nine or ten behind the rest of the barricades, that way the front row can retreat back to a different barricade if they need to. Not only will this slow down the enemy considerably, soldiers who are rested and haven't seen battle yet will be fighting enemies who are growing more and more tired with every fight."

Kestrel nodded in approval, "You should block off side streets with impassable barriers. The enemy will naturally gravitate toward the most open path. If you can keep them on the larger streets you can prevent them from having too much cover." Kestrel added. Quick Shot thought for a moment then said, "You should move the civilians into the castle or into the country side so that they don't get caught in the fighting." Princess Celestia nodded. Ace was feeling left out, but there wasn't anything he could improve upon.

He then thought of the castle. "What about the castle itself? Shouldn't that be barricaded some how?" Princess Luna nodded. "We can completely seal off the castle if need be." She said. Shinning Armor walked into the room and seemed a tad startled to see so many unicorns in the same place. "You needed me?" He asked. "How many guards do we have at out disposal?" Asked Princess Celestia. Shinning Armor thought for a moment. "Around a hundred and fifty. Why do you ask?" He responded. He looked at the map on the table. "Is something going on?"

So they went through the long process of explaining everything for the second time that morning. Shinning Armor sat back in his chair stunned. "Do you have a map of Canterlot and something I can write with?" Asked Kestrel. Princess Celestia lay another map down on the table and handed made a quill pen float over to him. He took the pen and started drawing marks on various streets on the map. "The double lines are where the bigger barricades should go; the others are where the small ones on the main streets should go. Do you have archers?" He asked. Princess Celestia looked to Shinning Armor who nodded. "About thirty." He said. Kestrel drew circles in various areas on top of buildings. "Put four or five archers in each of these spots and make sure they can easily travel from roof to roof." He then drew arrows pointing to the spots next to other barricades. "Tell them that if the ponies stationed at their barricade retreat they should fall back to the next barricade as well. Make sure each area has two quivers of arrows for each archer." He said.

"I'll see what I can do, but I don't know if we have that many arrows." Shinning Armor said. He considered the four ponies with admiration. "What did you say you did before guarding deliveries?" He asked. Kestrel smiled at him but didn't speak. "We should also ask any unicorns or pegasi in town if they will help defend the city." Said Hawkeye. "Why only unicorns and pegasi?" Asked Princess Luna confused. "From what I've seen Insurrection only trusts other ponies, and seeing as he declared war on unicorns we know none of them are on his side." He responded. Princess Celestia nodded and spoke. "We have our plan; we should start on it as soon as we can. I want all unicorns to start working on the large barriers, use anything and everything. I want the guards to begin evacuating citizens into the castle. Make sure that the earth ponies are guarded in a separate area. Go now!" She said. Everypony got up from their chairs and rushed to complete her orders. "Now I really wish I'd brought my M9…" said Kestrel glumly. "M9? Is that those weird things we found attached to the side of the… helicopter?" Asked Shinning Armor. Kestrel looked up at him. "What do they look like?" He asked.

Shinning Armor brought them into a room full of weapons. Sure enough on the back table were two very battered M240Hs. "No! Even better! Those are much better than M9s!" Hawkeye walked over to the one that looked to be in the best condition. He picked it up and pointed it at one of the walls. He tapped the trigger and it shot five rounds into the wall with loud bangs. Shinning Armor jumped and stared at it. "It still works! Exclaimed Hawkeye. Shinning was still staring at him. "What is it?!" He exclaimed. Hawkeye tried the other one but it wouldn't fire so he pulled all the ammo out of it instead. "It's called a machine gun. This could make our situation a whole lot less difficult!" Kestrel said.


	23. Chapter 23 A silent Ponyville

Princess Celestia had ten guards fly in different directions to see if any large groups of ponies were moving in the direction of Canterlot. After three days of building barricades and moving civilians out of town all the scouts returned. Two of them had spotted large groups of earth ponies walking toward Canterlot. Another reported that something strange was going on in Ponyville, but the rest said they hadn't seen anything.

"I'm a little worried about those large groups of ponies, but I'm more worried about what's happening in Ponyville." Said Princess Celestia. Shinning Armor, Hawkeye, and the unicorn that always carried the clipboard were in a meeting with the princesses. "The scout said that nopony was outside in the middle of the day and a strange mist covered the ground. I'd like to send a small group to investigate the town." Shinning Armor looked pretty worried by the news. "I'll go myself." He suggested. Hawkeye turned to Princess Celestia. "I think my friends and I should be the ones to go, that mist could be poisonous and we have gas masks." He said. The unicorn cut in, "We should send five of the best fighters; they can use magic to expel the gas and will be better prepared to fight." Hawkeye glared at her. "You seem to forget that we beat the living shit out of every unicorn you sent at us, we're better suited for this mission than you." He said. Shinning Armor growled in frustration. "You should let me go! I can expel the gas and I can fight." Princess Celestia sighed. "You all have valid points; but I think Hawkeye's group would be best for this." Shinning Armor groaned while the unicorn turned and glared at Hawkeye with all her heart. Hawkeye nodded his head. "We'll leave as soon as we can. Don't worry Shinning; we'll make sure your sister is safe." Shinning Armor relaxed a little. Hawkeye got up from his chair and walked out the door to find the others.

Three hours later they were standing on the outskirts of town. They wore their helmets with the shades down and they also had their oxygen masks on. They each had two daggers attached to their flak jackets and were wearing special boots that would help them be able to stand on two legs longer. They cautiously walked into town. The gas only reached up to their knees but it was thick enough that they couldn't see the ground. They made their way to the center of town without seeing a single pony. Once in the center they decided to split up to search the streets faster. Ace went back the way they'd come to knock on doors, Kestrel went west to do the same, Quick Shot went east, and Hawkeye went to find Twilight.

He knocked on doors along the way but no pony ever answered. He finally stopped at Twilight's tree. He knocked on the door and waited. He got no response so he knocked again and shouted. "Twilight! You in there?" Still no response. He stood up and drew his knives while taking a step back. He then rammed the door with all his strength. The door smashed inward and landed on the floor with a crash. He looked around but didn't see any immediate signs of life. He slowly walked around the library until his foot nudged something. He reached down into the gas and pulled up spike. He quickly checked for a pulse. Spike had a very slow and weak pulse. He climbed up the ladder in the back and set him down in a high area out of the gas. Once that was done he climbed down and opened the closet door. Twilight wasn't in there. He tried to open a door near the back but it was locked shut. It occurred to him then that the front door may have been unlocked. He slapped his forehead. He knocked on the door. "Twilight! It's me Hawkeye! Can you hear me?" He shouted at the door. When he didn't get a response he rammed into the door smashing it open. He didn't know there was a flight of stairs behind it so he tumbled head first down the stairs into the basement. He landed at the bottom with a thud. He couldn't see anything momentarily but after a moment his vision cleared. He looked around and saw Twilight collapsed on the floor a little ways away. He got up shakily and walked over to her. The fog was thinner down here so he could see the floor but when he looked at the stairs he saw that the gas was coming down like a water fall. Sheathed his daggers and went back to walking on all fours. He draped her over his back to carry her. He found a cloth on a shelf so he tied it around her nose and mouth like a mask. She groaned and shifted slightly but did not wake up. He slowly walked up the stairs making sure she didn't fall off. He brought her upstairs and set her on top of the middle table. Hawkeye then went up to spike and checked his pulse. It was stronger now and only slightly slower than it should have been. He made a sling out of the bed sheet and put him in it so that he was hanging by his side. He then climbed down the ladder and retrieved Twilight.


	24. Chapter 24 Aqua Shade

Hawkeye slowly walked outside of the library. "I was wondering where she went. You saved me the trouble of finding her." Said a female voice coming from his left. He spun around and found the cloaked figure leaning up against the tree. "You, you did this, didn't you?" He growled. "Guilty as charged, now hand over little miss reads-a-lot, and we can go our separate ways." Hawkeye leaned Twilight up against the trunk of the tree with her head out of the gas. He placed the sling on a branch above her. He then stood and drew both of his knives. "You'll have to kill me to get to them." The figure chuckled. "A bit dramatic, aren't we?" She also stood on her hind legs. She pulled down her hood to reveal that she was wearing the lower half of a First World War style gas mask. She was either black or dark grey, he couldn't tell in the shade of the tree, and had a neon blue main. She dropped the cloak to the ground to reveal that she was covered in various sheathed daggers and small plates of armor. "My name is Aqua Shade; try to remember that while I kill you." She smiled evilly while drawing two serrated daggers. They both got into a ready stance. Aqua tried to circle around him but he kept himself in-between her and Twilight. She lunged for his chest with one of the knives. He dodged the attack and swiped at her neck. She blocked the attack with one of her daggers and jumped back. Hawkeye didn't let her recover before running at her. He stabbed with one dagger while swinging the other one around to hit her left side. She sidestepped and easily blocked his swing while stabbing at his chest. He bent over backward to avoid the knife and kicked her arm sending the knife flying out of her grasp. He did a backwards flip and landed with both knives ready. "Impressive!" Aqua said. "But now I won't go so easy on you!" She drew a curved knife and ran at him. She held one upside down and tried to stab his head with it while thrusting the other at his abdomen. He rolled out of the way and stood up but she was already coming at him again. He dodged a thrust at his chest and ducked under a swipe at his neck. He swiped at her legs causing her to jump back. Hawkeye went after her with a stab to the shoulder while slashing at her side. She had to move to the left to avoid being stabbed, but his other knife made contact with her side. She yelped in pain and jumped back. She glared at him. "You're going to regret that." She came at him stabbing at random areas forcing him to back up. He dodged one thrust by stepping to the left and grabbing her arm. He quickly twisted it until she dropped the curved knife then jumped back as she swung at his head. She growled in rage and pulled what appeared to be a machete off her back. She ran at him yelling while swinging the machete over her head. She stabbed at his gut and swung the large knife at his neck. He once again bent over backward to avoid the attacks. This time he kicked her in the gut. She grunted in surprise as all air left her lungs. She stumbled backward clutching her stomach. Hawkeye ran over and sliced her forearm causing her to drop her other serrated knife. Aqua regained her breath and stepped back in surprise. He kept after her thrusting and slicing with his daggers. She was barely able to defend herself. At last he got in close and tripped her so that she fell forward onto the blade of one of his daggers. Hot blood dripped down his hoof and onto the ground. She gasped and dropped the machete. Neither of them moved for a while; then finally Hawkeye yanked the knife out of her gut. Blood spattered the ground in front of her. She gasped in pain and fell to the ground clutching her stomach. She started shivering and curled up into a ball. Her breathing became ragged. "H-how? N-no pony h-has ever b-beaten m-me in a f-fight before." She stared straight a head with wide eyes. She looked up slowly as Hawkeye wiped his daggers off on his flak jacket. He then sheathed them and just stood there looking at her. He walked over to her cloak and picked it up. He brought it back over to Aqua and draped it over her body. "W-who are you?" She asked. Hawkeye made sure that the cloak was covering her completely except for her head and walked back toward Twilight. "My name is Hawkeye; try to remember that until we meet again." He said. He picked up Twilight and spike and started walking back toward the center of town. Behind him Aqua shed a single tear. It slowly rolled down the side of her head and formed a droplet on her check. It stayed there for a second then fell to the ground.


	25. Chapter 25 the dust of war

Hawkeye found his friends in the center square. With them were around thirteen ponies with makeshift masks. His companions instantly noticed the blood on his jacket. "What happened?! Are you alright? Kestrel ran over in concern and looked him over. By now the gas was tinning out. "I'm fine. We need to make sure everypony is out of the gas." Kestrel said, "Already did that, we broke down doors and dragged ponies to higher areas. As you can see we picked up a few stragglers." Hawkeye nodded his head tiredly. "Let's just get these ponies back up to Canterlot. The gas looks like it's clearing so everypony else should be fine." The others nodded in agreement and started to lead the ponies to the edge of town.

Once they had exited town they took off their masks with relief. Hawkeye pulled the cloth off of Twilight's face and dropped it on the ground. The four soldiers flipped up their shades and removed their oxygen masks. Hawkeye remembered that he hadn't gone into any of the houses to help on the way to Twilight's tree. "Take these two and keep going; I forgot to search the houses on the way to her tree." He handed Twilight to Kestrel and put his mask back on. He then ran back into the town toward the houses he'd passed.

He tried to open doors before smashing them down so that he wouldn't cause too much damage. He quickly made his way through each house, dragging the inhabitants to higher areas as he went. As he finished searching the last house he thought about Aqua. He turned and walked to where he had left her to find it empty except for a blood stained cloak and two sets of hoof prints leading in the opposite direction. He could see that every once and a while blood had dropped to the ground as Aqua was carried away.

He returned to the edge of town slowly. The others had already made their way to Canterlot so no pony was around. By now the gas had cleared away revealing the ground at last. Hawkeye removed his mask and sat down next to a building. _'I should probably wait for ponies to start waking up so I can lead them to Canterlot.' _He thought. He sat there for around a half an hour when he heard a steady thumping noise. He sat up and listened. _'That sounds like marching.' _He scrambled up to the top of a roof and surveyed the land. Around fifty miles off in the distance he could see a dust cloud steadily approaching the town. _'Not good!' _He thought as he got down from the roof. He started running for Canterlot. _'Not good, not good, not good!' _He thought as he ran.

He ran until he got into the city. He then yelled as loud as he could. "They're coming! It's an army! We need to get ready for an attack!" The two guards that were sitting behind the first barricade jumped. A Pegasus on top of the city wall scrambled up and blew into a large brass horn. The note rang throughout the city. Hawkeye didn't waste any more time. He hopped the first barricade and sprinted toward the castle. As he hopped the second barrier he saw Guards rushing to get to their positions in the city. He looked up and saw two ponies with bows and arrows running on the roof tops on both sides. He hopped the last barrier and rushed to the castle doors. He stopped at a tripod stand where the M240H was mounted. Hawkeye spun around and grabbed the handle. Guards were still rushing by him as he looked down the sight. Ace, Kestrel, and Quick Shot ran out of the castle and stopped to greet him. "You certainly took your time!" Kestrel said. "Forget it and get to your barricades, quickly!" He said. Kestrel looked at him amused. "Are you giving a captain an order private?" Hawkeye glared at him. "Just go already!" Kestrel laughed and ran off toward his position. The other two did the same. Bolt and one other unicorn ran up to him and stopped beside him. "We're supposed to keep ponies off you while you fight with that… thing." Said Bolt. Hawkeye smiled at him. "Glad to have you here.


	26. Chapter 26 casualties of war

It was another four hours before the sentry on the wall spotted the approaching army. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna both stood on the wall above the closed gate to view the incoming attackers. The invaders stopped about a half a mile from the gate and stood in formation. There were around three hundred earth ponies dressed in crude armor with various improvised weapons. Princess Celestia spoke. "Is Insurrection among you? Or is he too much of a coward to lead his own attacks." She slowly looked over the ranks of earth ponies. One stepped forward. He was wearing full plate armor and a helmet, at his side was a sheathed saber. "Insurrection is busy elsewhere. We do not need his guidance to conquer Canterlot." He shouted back to her. "Disperse now before you make the fatal mistake of attacking us!" Luna shouted in the royal canterlot voice. Several of the ponies in the front line cringed. "We will attack and take over Canterlot! Troops! Forward march!" The army marched forward toward the city. The center parted to reveal a battering ram. The Princesses teleported away as the army reached the front gate. They used the battering ram and smashed it down. "Charge!" Yelled the commander of the army. They split into three groups to go down each of the main streets.

**Ace's fight**

Ace was stationed at the front barricade with nine of the royal guards. Everypony was equipped with the special boots and a spear. They also had swords sheathed at their sides for when spears became inconvenient. He gripped his spear and watched as a hundred earth ponies came running for the barricade. The archers on the roof opened fire downing ten before they reached the barricades. Ace thrust with his spear at anything that cam in range but eventually the spear was ripped from his grasp. He and the guards drew their swords and backed up slowly while fighting the oncoming ponies. Ace slashed and stabbed but there were too many. "Fall back to the next barricade!" He called out as he watched four of the royal guards fall to the attacking army's blades. The archers unloaded the last of their arrows onto the army and backed up to the next barricade. They'd only managed to take down thirty or thirty five of the attackers so far.

**Quick Shot's fight**

Quick Shot's barricade was doing much better than Ace's; the opposing army hadn't managed to move them from their spots on the ground. He had lost his spear a while ago and was now fighting with a short sword and a long dagger. He thrust forward and caught the pony he was fighting in the throat. He gurgled and fell to the ground with blood pouring out of his neck. Another one replaced his spot and attacked Quick Shot. He quickly dispatched him and took a glance around him. So far they'd only had one death and two minor injuries. He noticed that the others were getting tired though. "Fall back to the second barricade!" He called out. The guards finished off those they were fighting and sprinted back to the second barricade where fresh troops were waiting to meet the enemy.

**Kestrel's fight**

Kestrel growled in frustration as the commander drove him back a step. The guards were having just as much trouble as him. He parried a swipe from the commander and tried to stab him with his dagger. It bounced harmlessly off the side of his armor when he stepped to the side. This pony was obviously an expert sword fighter. He swung quickly and effortlessly doing the absolute minimal he had to in order to strike. No fancy spins or blocks, just simple and quick movements. The guards finally gave up and ran for the next barricade. "Go after them! I'll take care of this one!" The commander shouted to his troops. They ran after the guards leaving the two to their duel. Kestrel blocked another swing and jumped to the side. They started to circle each other now that they had the room to do so. Kestrel growled and leapt into a frenzied swing with his sword. The commander effortlessly blocked and punched him in the side of the head with his other hoof. Kestrel stumbled back a few steps holding his head. The commander walked forward slowly with his sword pointed to the side. Kestrel hunched over and prepared to swing again. The commander saw his stance and laughed. "Do you really think you can kill me by trying the same thing twice in a row?" Kestrel grinned. "No." He jumped forward and swung his sword down at his head while bringing the knife up toward his chest. The commander only saw the sword swinging toward his head. He blocked it and was about to punch him again when the knife struck him in the center of his ribcage. He grunted in surprise and jumped back. The armor had absorbed most of the force so the knife only penetrated the skin and touched the bone. The commander smiled. "That's better, now can you defend against this?" He ran forward with his sword to the side.

**Hawkeye's fight**

The invaders finally broke through the center street causing the guards to run in two different directions. That was Hawkeye's cue to fire. He pulled the trigger. The M240H sent bullets spraying into the crowd of oncoming assailants. They fell two at a time until there were only fifteen left. He stopped firing and waited. They looked around them shocked to see the bullet filled corpses of their companions. They dropped their weapons and surrendered. Bolt and the other unicorn stared at the scene in surprise as well. The guards made them sit in front of a building with their hands on their heads while the battle raged on. Hawkeye made sure that his gun was operating normally and went back to watching for enemies.

**Kestrel's death**

The two fought until they heard the noise of the M240H firing and the screams of injured and dying ponies. "What was that?!" Asked the commander in surprise. "Our secret weapon. You should have left while you had the chance." Kestrel responded with a smile. The commander swung at him but Kestrel blocked with his knife and stabbed him in the shoulder. The pony stumbled backward in surprise and rage. They fought for nearly ten more minutes before they heard cheers coming from the direction of the castle. Kestrel smiled at him. "You loose." The pony glared at him furiously. "I will not be a prisoner!" He lunged forward catching Kestrel by surprise. The sword went straight through his stomach and out his back. He grunted in surprise. He thrust his sword up under the ponies chin in response. His sword went up through the bottom of his head and knocked his helmet off as it came out the top of his head. The commander collapsed to the ground letting out a slowly growing pool of blood, a triumphant look still on his face. Kestrel dropped to his knees and weakly tried to pull grasp the sword. He looked up painfully and saw two guards rushing toward him. His vision went blurry and the world seemed to rock back in forth. "Sorry guys…" He said weakly and fell onto his side. He could hear his heart beat getting slower and slower until finally it stopped. He closed his eyes and breathed out one last word. "Sorry…" When the guards arrived he was already dead. The shock from the stab combined with his blood loss killed him. A large pool of blood surrounded both the dead ponies.


	27. Chapter 27 return to sender

The corpses of the guards and Kestrel were laid out in a line in the main entrance with white sheets covering them. On each sheet was an embroidered symbol of a sun and moon. Hawkeye, Quick Shot, and Ace stood in front of Kestrel saluting. A tear rolled down Quick Shot's face as he stared straight ahead with a hard expression on his face. They finished their salute and bowed their heads. The royal guards respectfully stood behind Princess Celestia and Princess Luna as they watched the three of them. Overall twenty three ponies died including Kestrel. Shinning Armor walked up to them. They turned to face him. Before he could speak Hawkeye said "Where were you planning to burry him?" Shinning Armor smiled sadly at them. "I was going to ask you three. We are burying the guards in rows near the royal mausoleum." Hawkeye nodded. "That would be fine…" He kept his face calm. Shinning Armor nodded. "I'm very sorry." Hawkeye nodded. "Unfortunately there will be deaths in war. It is an unavoidable consequence." The three stayed by Kestrel's corpse until it was removed to be buried.

"Two hundred forty seven enemy soldiers were killed during the attack, seventeen were wounded, and thirty-six are being held in the dungeons." Shinning Armor reported to Princess Celestia. "They either severely underestimated us or were only testing our strength." Added Hawkeye. He sat in the meeting room with Shinning Armor, Feather Pen (the unicorn with the clipboard), and Princess Celestia. She nodded and looked at Hawkeye. "Are you sure you are ok? If you need to take a break no pony will blame you." Hawkeye shook his head. "I'll take a break when the war is over." He said. She nodded and turned back to Shinning Armor. "Were you able to get any information from the prisoners?" Shinning Armor shook his head. "They won't say anything." Feather Pen sighed in exasperation. "If you let me search their minds we wouldn't need to question them!" Hawkeye turned to her in irritation. "They already seem to hate unicorns; don't you think invading the privacy of their minds might make them hate you more?" He said. Shinning Armor nodded his head. "He has a point you know." She slumped and pouted. "Oh yeah, that's a very adult thing to do." Hawkeye said sarcastically. "Quiet!" Said Princess Celestia. "We can't get anything done if you three keep arguing all the time!" Hawkeye nodded and apologized. Feather Pen reluctantly apologized as well. Hawkeye turned to Shinning Armor. "By the way, how is Twilight doing?" He asked. Shinning Armor smiled. "She's doing well; she woke up during the fighting but still can't move correctly." Hawkeye nodded his head in approval. "Back to the matter at hand, what do we do with the bodies of the attackers?" Asked Feather Pen slightly annoyed. "We could always burn them and mount their skulls on stakes outside the wall." Suggested Hawkeye jokingly. Feather Pen rolled her eyes and turned to Shinning Armor. "Perhaps we should contact Insurrection's army and have them pick up their dead so they can get them to their families?" Hawkeye nodded his head. "I like that idea. Perhaps we should also give back those we've captured." Feather Pen looked at him incredulously. "_Why_ would we do that!?" Hawkeye smiled at her. "You really have had no experience with military strategy, have you? Anyway, if we return the prisoners unharmed perhaps they won't think unicorns are as bad as they thought. If we keep them as prisoners we'll only add to their list of things they hate about unicorns." He said. Princess Celestia nodded her head. "I will send a message to the mayor of Fillydelphia. I'll tell him to send soldiers to retrieve the dead and soldiers on the edge of Ponyville." She said. Hawkeye nodded his head in approval.

**The next day**

Hawkeye and two other guards stood in front of six wagons. The first held the prisoners while the next five were filled with the dead attackers. They were attached together so that only the front wagon had to be pulled. After about an hour of waiting they saw four ponies walking toward them. In front was Aqua Shade, a bandage around her torso. The other three appeared to be highly trained soldiers. Aqua stopped and looked at Hawkeye. He nodded slightly in greeting. "I believe these wagons are filled with the dead and wounded?" She asked. "Yes they are. You may check them if you don't believe us, all three hundred soldiers are there." Hawkeye gestured to the wagons. Aqua walked around to the back of the first wagon and looked inside. She nodded to the fifty three ponies packed inside and went to the next wagon. She looked in each wagon then returned. "Where is Captain Hammer?" She asked. Hawkeye's mouth twitched. "Kestrel killed Hammer while Hammer was killing him. They are both dead." He said. Aqua nodded her head. "Alright then. You three get the wagons." She said. Aqua watched as the three hitched up and started pulling the wagons off. She turned and looked at Hawkeye. "Next time we meet will be on the battle field Hawkeye." She said. "I await it with dread Aqua." He said. They nodded to each other and Aqua left. Hawkeye turned and left with the two guards.


	28. Chapter 28 infiltration

A small group of medics were sent to Ponyville to make sure every pony was recovering correctly. No one had died but a few ponies had to be brought to the emergency care ward in the castle. The cause of the gas was never discovered but several ponies said they had seen a cloaked figure walking around and every once and a while would stop and do something to a wall or the ground. Shinning Armor convinced Twilight to stay in Canterlot, though she insisted that her five friends be brought to the castle as well. Applejack, Pinky pie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy all came to the castle, but no pony had seen Rarity or her little sister since the day before the town was gassed.

"I'm worried about Rarity and her sister…" Twilight told Hawkeye. Hawkeye nodded his head as they walked. "I'm sorry but if a unicorn is missing at a time like this then she is probably in the hands of an enemy." Twilight looked down sadly. "Yeah… I guess there's nothing we can do…" Hawkeye hated to see her sad like this. "Well… my friends and I could go look for her… if we find her we may be able to find other unicorns as well." He said. Twilight looked up at him. "You'd really do that?" He nodded his head and smiled. "Oh thank you!" She threw her arms around him and hugged him. He stood rigid with wide eyes while blushing. She let go of him and they continued walking. "I just need to tell Princess Celestia that we're going out for a couple of days." He said. They walked on in silence until they reached the meeting room. Shinning Armor was waiting outside Hawkeye. "Ah, there you are. Hey Twily, how are you feeling?" She smiled at him. "Much better!" Shinning Armor smiled and motioned for Hawkeye to go inside.

He entered the small meeting room and walked up to his seat. He didn't sit though; instead he looked to Princess Celestia. "My friends and I request a couple of days to search around the country. We're going to be searching for enemy bases, camps, and etcetera." He said. The princess looked at him confused for a moment. "Well I suppose you can, though I do wonder why you want to go instead of sending out the scouts." Hawkeye shook his head. "The scouts will be seen flying which will give the enemy warning that we know where they are. Where as Ace, Quick Shot, and I can go around unnoticed." He said. The princess nodded but still looked concerned. "Fine, I'll give you a week to look around, after that I want you back at the castle." She said. Hawkeye bowed his head and smiled. "Thank you your highness, we will leave at once." He said and left the room. Twilight and Shinning Armor were still talking outside. He quietly slipped by without them noticing and went to the other's rooms.

It took him a while to convince them to go with him but in the end they went. They agreed to leave behind their helmets and flak jackets so that they wouldn't attract too much attention. They each brought a dagger strapped to their left hoof. They took small roads that were never traveled much and searched for secluded places. They hadn't found anything by the second day. They had, however, had to hide from a passing patrol of soldiers.

They hid in the bushes as the group of six went past. Once they were out of hearing range Hawkeye whispered to the others. "If there's a patrol in this area there must be something of importance." The other two nodded their heads and cautiously follow him out of the bush. They followed the patrol at a distance until they came to a large compound with a chain link fence surrounding it. It had barbed wire at the top and there were guard towers in every corner. "This must be it. How should we approach?" He asked. "We should walk in their line of sight and see if they recognize, if they don't then we can walk up to the two gate guards and ask what the compound is." Quick Shot suggested. Hawkeye shrugged. "Good a plan as any…" He said.

The three of them started walking toward the two guards. They clutched their spears and waited for the three to get to them. One of the guards spoke when the three stopped. "Authorized ponies only, you'll have to leave." Hawkeye got an idea. "What?! You don't know who we are? We were sent by insurrection himself to check on the compound! Did you not receive notice?" The guards looked at each other. One of them went inside while the other stepped into the center of the path. A while later the guard came back with a pony who wore armor but no helm. "What is it?" He asked.

"We were sent by insurrection to inspect the compound. If you do not let us in we will have to tell him that one of his underlings refused to allow us in. Are you hiding something?" Hawkeye glared at him. The commander frowned. "No, we aren't hiding anything… um… please come right in and begin your inspection." He said a little flustered. Hawkeye nodded and stepped past the gate. Quick Shot and Ace followed him in with their heads held high. They walked around in a group pretending to examine the condition of buildings and other places. They walked toward the center of camp and saw a large line of unicorns with strange devices on their heads standing in front of a raised stage. The commander walked up next to him. "We were just about to take roll call." He said. Hawkeye nodded. "I'll need to see each of them, just to make sure you're not treating them too nicely." He said. The commander nodded and led him to the front of the line.

Hawkeye slowly walked down the line pretending to inspect each unicorn closely. He noticed that they were very dirty, had various bruises and cuts, and looked like they were getting thin. He was almost at the end of the line when he came across Rarity. _'wow, what are the chances?' _he thought. She stared at him with wide eyes as he passed. He winked at her without slowing down his walk. "Number 37! Eyes forward!" He heard somepony yell. She snapped her attention back to the front in fear.

Hawkeye stopped at the end of the line; he then circled around and went behind the row. When he reached the front of the line he nodded to the commander of the compound. "Everything seems to be in order here. We'll just need to inspect the prisoner's shelter and the fence." He said. The commander nodded and led him to a group of buildings. He walked inside the first one and looked around. _'Jeeze! It's like a world war two concentration camp!' _He looked at every thing, looking for loose boards or holes in the walls. He examined the next to buildings in the same way. At the last one the commander stopped him. "This one is full of unicorns too old, young, or sick to be of use." He said. _'Exactly like a concentration camp!' _He walked inside and saw that the bunks were full with old, young and sick unicorns just like the commander had said. He examined the entire shelter but found nothing.

He exited and followed as the commander led him along the fence. He could see no areas on the fence where a pony could shimmy under. "Everything seems to be in order, keep up the good work. Now I would like to see a list of patrols and guards." He said. The commander nodded hesitantly and led him into a building used as an office. Once inside Hawkeye made sure no pony was around and closed the door behind them. The commander was too busy looking through a cabinet to notice. Hawkeye nodded to Ace and Quick Shot. He slowly walked around the commander while drawing his knife. When he was close enough he clamped a hand over his mouth and drove the knife through his heart. The muffled scream could barely be heard by Ace and Quick Shot so they knew no pony outside would hear. The commander slumped forward dead. Hawkeye yanked the knife out of his back and wiped it off on the commander's uniform.


	29. Chapter 29 liberation

"Make sure no pony's out side!" Hawkeye whispered fiercely as he hid the body under the desk. Ace peaked outside. "Clear." He whispered. Hawkeye quickly found a list of every pony stationed on the base. Hawkeye nodded and crept out the door. He motioned for the others to follow and pointed at the doors. They each searched each room but no pony was in the building. They walked toward front door. They walked outside and saw that every pony was guarding the unicorns as they did various tasks. Some moved materials from one building to another; others were loading boxes onto a wagon.

They made their way over to two guards that were standing in front of a bush big enough for three ponies to stand in comfortably. Hawkeye and Quick Shot started talking to them while Ace watched for any pony that could see them. He stamped a foot on the ground twice. Quick Shot and Hawkeye sprang forward with knives in hands and cut the two ponies throats. They quickly hid the two in the bush and made sure no blood could be seen. They then moved on to one of the buildings and entered it. There were unicorns making plates of metal and different fabrics. There were four guards, two at the door they just entered and two at a side door where some unicorns were transporting the finished plates of metal and fabric outside.

They noticed two large stacks of boxes on either side of the door way they had just entered. They pretended to be inspecting boxes; Hawkeye opened on big enough to fit both guards in and found it empty. One of the guards walked over to see what he was doing. Hawkeye got into an argument with him that caused the other guard to walk over to see what was going on. Once they were out of sight of every pony in the room they ended the argument. Before they walked back to their spot at the door they stabbed their throats and threw them into the box. They quickly replaced the lids and once again made sure no blood could be seen. Hawkeye opened another empty box and nodded to the others.

They walked out from behind the boxes toward the two other guards. They looked at the three questioningly. "There's a little problem we need you to help with." Said Hawkeye. He glanced back at the stack of boxes. The guards nodded and followed them behind the boxes. "What's the problem?" One of them asked confused. Hawkeye punched him in the throat and stabbed him in the eye with his knife while Quick Shot thrust his knife through the other pony's trachea. They stuffed them into the box they had opened earlier.

They walked out from behind the boxes and saw the unicorns staring at them. Hawkeye brought his hoof up to his mouth. "Shhhhh. Just keep working." The unicorns smiled in relief and went back to work, happy with the knowledge they were being rescued. The three walked out of the building through the side door and saw two ponies on either side of the path. Hawkeye walked up to the one on the left and started chatting, while Ace led the other away because of a "problem" with one of the buildings. Once they were out of sight he led the guard to the bush and pointed at the side of the building it was next to. The guard leaned closer to examine it. "I don't see anything." He said. Ace clamped a hoof over his mouth and cut his throat. He then shoved him into the bush. He had gotten blood all over the ground so mixed it in with the dust until it was unnoticeable.

Meanwhile the other guard was getting suspicious. "Where did your friend take Thorn?" He asked. "There was a problem with a building; if you want we can go find them." The guard shook his head. "Some pony has to make sure the unicorns keep working." Hawkeye pointed to Quick Shot. "He'll make sure of that. Let's go see if they need help. The guard nodded his head and followed Hawkeye. Hawkeye slit his throat at the bush and shoved him in. _'We've got seven so far. Just ten left. This is a very poorly defended bunker.' _He thought. He and the other two entered the next building. There were four guards, but there was no where they could hide the bodies.

Ace went over to the two guards at the far door and started talking to them while Hawkeye and Quick Shot positioned themselves in front of the two guards pretending to examine the room. Ace suddenly drove his knife into one of the guard's throats, wheeled around and did the same to the other one before he could yell in alarm. Hawkeye and Quick Shot spun around when they saw the first guard go down and quickly dispatched the two at their door. The unicorns in the room became dead silent as they saw what the three had done. Hawkeye went to the door and yelled "Help! Prison riot!" They got ready at the doors.

The unicorns were now utterly terrified. The remaining six ponies came in three per door. Hawkeye and Quick Shot quickly killed their three and ran over to help Ace. He had killed one but the other two were shouting for back up and holding off Ace. Quick Shot and Hawkeye got over and with their help Ace was able to kill them. "That's all of them! I can't believe how few guards they had here!" Hawkeye exclaimed. He turned to the unicorns. "All of the guards are dead! Follow us and we'll take you to Canterlot!" He called out.

After they made sure everyone was accounted for they led the tired unicorns out of the camp. They walked for two days before finally arriving at Canterlot. They walked in excitedly. Hawkeye, Quick Shot, and Ace presented the prisoners they liberated to the princesses who used magic to break the magic blocking devices off their horns. Medics checked over the liberated prisoners to make sure nothing was wrong. Some of the unicorns stationed at the castle greeted the ones they knew.

**Back at the prison camp**

Aqua calmly looked over the sixteen corpses. "How did this happen?" She asked in a creepily calm voice. "We don't know Miss Aqua, there were no signs of a struggle and nothing suggests that the prisoners did it." She frowned as she looked over the corpses again. "Where is Commander Ivy?" She asked in annoyance. "We don't know, we checked everywhere and can't seem to find him." Said one of her personal guards. "Did you check his office?" She asked. They shook their heads. "Well then search it you imbeciles!" She yelled at them. They scrambled off in the direction of the offices. _'I bet I know who did this.' _She thought. She looked back out the front gate.


	30. Chapter 30 Prince Blueblood

**Three months later**

It was decided that more prison camps should be sought out and taken down. With each successful liberation came more willing soldiers to help fight back against Insurrection. After the fifth camp was liberated Canterlot's army marched on Manehatten and drove out Insurrection's troops. Hawkeye, Quick Shot, and Ace continued to support the unicorns as much as they could. Hawkeye trained new recruits and advised the Princesses on military strategies. Quick Shot was put in charge of the defense of Manehatten with almost one hundred and fifty soldiers under his command. Ace usually led liberation missions and hunted high ranking officers in Insurrection's army.

Hawkeye was giving the new soldiers training in hoof to hoof when Shinning Armor walked in. He gave control of the lesson to one of his assistants and went to talk with Shinning. "Is something wrong?" Asked Hawkeye as they walked toward the side of the training grounds. "Not exactly. It's just that you've been attracting attention to yourself lately." He said. Hawkeye looked at him confused. "What do you mean by that?" He asked. "Have you ever heard of prince Blueblood?" He asked. The name rang a bell but Hawkeye didn't know who it was. "I've heard the name, but I don't think I've ever met him. Why do you ask?" Hawkeye asked. Shinning armor looked toward the door nervously. "He wants to talk to you about a… ah, job offer."

"A job offer?" Hawkeye asked confused. He looked toward the door. "Is he here? I'm interested to see what he has to say." He said. Shinning armor nodded and led him out the door. Standing outside was a very impatient looking unicorn. "It's about time you got him. Now then I expect you to be at least ten feet away from me at all times while you guard me. I wouldn't want to be seen with such a brute in public. Also you need to wear-" Hawkeye cut him off. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait! Who said I accepted your job offer!? And just _why _would I waste my time guarding _you_? There are plenty of real guards around here!" Shinning Armor nearly had a heart attack. Prince Blueblood stared at him in rage. "How _DARE _you speak to me in such a way! I demand you apologize this instant!" Hawkeye stared at him with one of his eyebrows raised. "You're kidding, right? You demand? Well listen here bub, I've got better things to do than stand around and listen to you make a fool of yourself. Now if that's all you needed would you please fuck off?" He turned walked back into the training hall, slamming the door behind him.

Shinning Armor felt cold all over. _'Did he really just say that to the prince?' _He thought. He slowly looked over to Prince Blueblood with wide eyes. He was standing there with a red face, shaking in rage. "Don't do it prince." He warned. Prince Blueblood blew open the doors with magic and marched inside. _'Too late.' _He thought in despair. He watched as the prince walked into the training field and stopped in front of Hawkeye. From where he stood he couldn't hear the conversation, but he could see Hawkeye laughing every once and a while.

Hawkeye couldn't believe his ears. The prince was threatening to have him executed and all other kinds of crap. He couldn't help but burst out laughing which caused the prince to become angrier, if that was possible. The prince raised a hoof and slapped him. He instantly stopped laughing and looked at him. The prince smiled in smug satisfaction. "Try that again and I'll put you in the hospital, regardless of your royal status." Said Hawkeye threateningly. The prince must not have believed him because he raised his hoof again to strike. Hawkeye caught it easily without taking his eyes off the Prince's face. The Prince's expression changed from shock to rage.

"How dare you touch me you brute!" He exclaimed. "I've had just about enough of your shit Princey. So you just shut up before I do something you regret." He said. Prince Blueblood looked at him in shock. Then went right back to yelling at him angrily. Hawkeye quickly twisted his hoof until he heard a satisfying crack. The prince went wide eyed and pale. "Y-you! I-I'll have you imprisoned for this!" He said. Hawkeye pulled the Prince's arm over his shoulder and tripped him as he came forward. The Prince hit the ground with a thud. Hawkeye kneeled on top of his back, twisting the Prince's arm around until he couldn't move without hurting himself. "I thought I told you to shut up." He grabbed a handful of his mane and pulled him up so he could look into his eyes. "I want you to leave now. I don't care if you go crying to the Princesses but if I don't see you out of here in the next five seconds I really will put you in the hospital. Do I make myself clear?" The Prince nodded wordlessly. He slammed his head back into the dirt and got off his back. A moment later the Prince disappeared in a flash. Hawkeye dusted of his flak jacket and looked behind him. All of the new recruits were starring at him like he was insane. "What are you gawking at?! Drill five! Now!" He yelled at them. They quickly took the proper stance and started slashing and stabbing with their practice knives. He glanced over at Shinning Armor who was currently turning a sickly shade of green. He smiled and waved.


	31. Chapter 31 the assassin

Ace crouched low in the bush watching as the guards walked by. He bolted past them once they passed into the trees beyond them. They turned around in confusion but resumed walking when they didn't see anything. Ace kept running until he was under a small ridge. The road was on top of the ridge. He peaked out from under his small hiding spot. There was a bush that concealed him nicely directly above him that allowed him to see the road without being seen. He saw his target coming down the road with four two guards on either side.

He waited until they were almost on top of him before he sprang out of the bushes. His target, Captain Ironshield, jumped in surprise but could not react in time. Ace's blade went up under his chin and through his brain. The pony collapsed silently as he pulled his dagger out and sprang back into the bushes. The four guards yelled in alarm and chased him through the trees. He hid behind a tree and waited until three had passed he then grabbed the forth and snapped his neck with his bare hooves.

The other three heard the crack and turned to see nothing but the dead guard. They ran over to the spot and looked around. _'These idiots never think to look up!' _Ace thought with a smile. He dropped down from the tree on top of one of them and thrust his dagger through another pony's throat. He yanked it out and rolled to the side as the remaining pony swung at his head. He recovered and charged head first at the soldier. The soldier jumped out of the way as he rushed passed. As he passed he stabbed the guard he had landed on in the back of the head with his knife.

He wheeled around to face the last soldier. They both stared at each other for a while; then the soldier ran forward with a yell. Ace stepped to the side and tripped him. The guard yelped as he tumbled into the dirt. Ace was on top of him in a flash with the knife ready. He thrust it down into the guards face. He yanked it out causing blood to spatter everywhere and wiped the blade off on the guard's uniform. Behind him he could hear guards yelling and running through the brush. He turned and fled.

**At Captain Ironshield's corpse**

Aqua regarded the corpse with distaste. "I never really like him…" She looked down the direction the assassin had run off in. She shook her head and walked over to her guards. "Follow me; I think I know where this assassin is heading." She walked on not waiting for her guards to respond.

They waited near the edge of a small hidden clearing with a small hole near the edge. Just like Aqua had said the assassin came to this clearing. She and her guards stepped out of the trees and faced him. Ace stopped abruptly in shock. "You are becoming quite the nuisance, but we'll be fixing that now." Aqua said. Her guards drew their swords and stood up on their hind legs to fight.

Ace Stood up and drew his knife. "Sorry to disappoint you but I don't plan on dieing today." He said. Aqua nodded her head and all four guards rushed forward at Ace. He dropped under a swing from one and rolled away from the thrust of a second. He regained his footing in time to duck under a wild slash. He thrust upward with his knife and caught him in the stomach. He had to jump out of the way as a second guard nearly beheaded him. He leaned up against a tree. The guard thrust his sword toward him but he dodged to the side. The sword embedded itself in the tree. Ace kicked the guard's hand and yanked the sword from the tree at the same time.

He jumped over a low swipe from one of the guards and grabbed a tree branch. He kicked off the trunk of the tree and caught the guard in the face with the bottom of his hooves. The guard flew across the clearing and landed with a thud on the ground. He dropped down from the tree and just barely avoided a chopping attack from another guard's sword. He got up on his feet and stabbed the sword through one of the guards who was trying to attack him with a large rock. He yanked the sword out. _'Two down, two to go.'_

He parried a thrust from the guard in front of him and stabbed him in the chest with his dagger. He turned and faced the final guard who was just now getting up off the ground. He charged forward and thrust the sword through the guard's gut before he could fully recover. He yanked it out and watched as the guard flopped onto the ground. Ace finally turned and faced Aqua. She was leaning on the trunk of a tree, a short serrated sword in each hoof.

Aqua pushed herself off the tree and walked forward slowly. "Those four were nothing compared to me. Prepare to die!" She thrust her swords toward his chest. He stepped out of the way and prepared a strike of his own. She was too fast though and swung her blade to the side to catch him in the ribs. He just barely brought the sword down in a block. He jumped back panting.

Aqua rushed forward again, this time she slashed from both sides. He blocked them both and smacked his head into hers. She stumbled backward holding her head. He stepped back a step a little dazed as well. _'Headbuts, bad idea!'_ He thought. They both regained their stances and rushed toward each other again. He blocked one of her attacks and ducked under the under. She blocked his upward thrust of his dagger and smacked him in the forehead with the hilt of her sword.

They fought for ten more minutes with no clear advantage. They both had scrapes and cuts and were panting heavily. At last Aqua rushed forward and got a stab through his defenses. The sword punctured the left side of his gut and went out his back. He grunted in pain and jumped back. The hole in his gut oozed blood. He dropped hi weapons and fled.

Ace ran until he collapsed from exhaustion. Luckily there was a patrol of unicorns heading his way. They found him and dragged him back to their camp where they sealed his wounds and prepared to transport him to Manehatten.


	32. Chapter 32 Admiral Tsunami

Quick Shot walked into Ace's room in the hospital. He walked up to the bed and looked at Ace's unconscious figure. "Do we know how this happened?" He asked the doctor. The doctor shook her head. "The unicorns who found him say that he had a stab wound going through the left side of his stomach and out his back. They had to seal it so he wouldn't bleed to death." Quick Shot pulled back the sheet and looked at the scar where Ace had been stabbed. "Did you make sure that he's not bleeding internally?" He asked. "Yes, he seems to be doing fine even though he lost most of his blood. He should recover soon." She said. Quick Shot nodded and walked out of the room.

He walked back to the building they were using as the main base and walked up to his office. He had the very boring job of having to create patrols, sign papers, and all sorts of things that were necessary but boring. He glanced at the piano in the corner of the room. He sighed and continued signing papers. After a while he glanced up at the piano again. He put down his papers and went to the door. He looked out to the left and right to make sure no one was around then shut his door. He pulled the bench out from the piano and sat on it.

Quick Shot examined the keys and set his hoofs on them elegantly. He then started playing the most difficult song he knew called the death waltz. He closed his eyes as he played the key. The sound of the piano reverberated through his closed door and down the hall. Pretty soon a group of ponies were listening to him play outside his door. He finished the song perfectly and sat at the piano smiling at nothing. Somepony knocked on the door causing him to jump and fall off the bench. Quick Shot quickly got up off the floor and answered the door expecting to see one of the desk workers with a stack of papers for him. Instead he found himself looking at a group of unicorns. "Uh… can I help you?" He asked.

**At New Saddle port**

Admiral Tsunami stared at the unicorns in confusion as they were being loaded onto his ship. He turned to Insurrection. "Who are all these ponies?" He asked concerned. Insurrection smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "You don't need to worry about that, all you need to do is take them out to the middle of the gulf and drop them over board." The admiral looked at him in shock. "I need to what?! What did these ponies _do_?" He asked in horror. Insurrection looked at him with a frown. "I thought you agreed to follow orders without question when you signed up admiral." Admiral Tsunami shook his head. "I agreed to help keep my country safe from tyranny, not murder innocent ponies! When I signed up I assumed that I would be helping Equestria, but you still have not told me who or what I am fighting for!"

Insurrection glared at him. "I told you that you are fighting for equality. Is that not something you wish for admiral?" He glared at Insurrection. "How is drowning fifty unicorns in the gulf enforcing equality?!" Insurrection was getting angrier. "Admiral, if you do not carry out this task I will have no choice but to mark you as a traitor and destroy your ship." Admiral Tsunami drew his sword and aimed it at Insurrections chest. "Fine then! Now get off my ship!" Insurrection growled. "If that is your final answer then so be it." He walked down the plank onto the dock.

"Everyone prepare to set sail at once!" Tsunami yelled. The crew members scrambled to unfurl the sails and raise the anchor. Tsunami's first mate wave walked up to him. "Is something going on captain?" He asked. Tsunami shook his head. "We are deserting Insurrection's navy. I will not follow orders that call for the slaughter of innocent ponies." Wave nodded his head and looked back at the docks. Tsunami walked toward the former prisoners. He stopped in front of them and looked them over. They were dirty, thin, and looked exhausted. "Do not worry. You are safe on board my ship, you are no longer prisoners." They stared at him blankly.

The ship pulled from port just as the port cannons fired at them. The cannon balls splashed into the water directly behind them. Admiral Tsunami ran up to the bridge and looked behind the ship to the port. They would soon be out of range of the cannons. A cannon ball whizzed past his head and tore a hole in the sail behind him. It kept going and splashed harmlessly into the water in front of them. He stood watch until they were out of cannon range.

"Set sail for Manehatten port!" He called out when they were out of the gulf. The ship turned toward the river that led to Manehatten. "The great and powerful Trixie demands you let her go this instant!" He heard from the deck. He turned in confusion and walked to where the voice had come from. He stopped in front of a blue unicorn that just glared at him. "Who is this great and powerful Trixie you speak of?" He asked. She glared at him and said. "The great and powerful Trixie is me! Trixie demands you release her at once!" She yelled at him. He flinched. "What an annoying voice." He muttered. "You are not being held prisoner. You can not be released if you are not a prisoner." He tried to explain. She turned her head to the side proudly. "Trixie demands to speak with the captain of this ship!" His eye twitched. "Trixie is- I mean you are speaking to him." He said shaking his head. "Trixie doesn't believe you. Trixie wants you to get the real captain!" His eye twitched again. _'She cannot be serious!' _He looked at her impatiently. "If you believe you are being held prisoner you are welcome to escape by jumping over board. The nearest town is nearly a hundred miles away though, so have fun walking to a town where you will be recaptured." He turned and walked away.


	33. Chapter 33 arrival in port

Quick Shot stood on the docks looking out over the lake. A single ship was sailing slowly toward the docks with a white flag. "Do we have a navy?" He asked in confusion. The unicorn next to him shook her head. "Equestria's navy joined Insurrection when he declared war. We don't have any ships." Quick Shot frowned as he watched the ship getting closer. "Get the troops ready just in case." He said. The pony saluted and ran off. He held a spy glass up to his eye to look at the ship.

The ship docked and the crew lowered the gangplank. An earth pony in bronze armor and helmet walked down onto the docks followed by two crew members. His cutie mark was a blue compass with eight points. The pony stopped in front of Quick Shot and bowed. "My name is Admiral Tsunami. I wish to speak with the current leader of this town." Quick Shot noticed his thick English accent and the way he spoke so formally. "I'm Quick Shot, I'm in charge here. What do you want Admiral?" He said. Tsunami raised his head and smiled at him. "My crew and I have deserted Insurrection's army. We have fifty unicorns on board that could use a good meal and some rest." He said. Quick Shot nodded suspiciously. "Bring them off the ship." He said. Tsunami turned and whistled to the ship. Unicorns started walking off and past the four ponies.

The unicorns finally showed emotion when they saw that they really were saved. They ran to friends and family who were stationed at the base or just stood in relief. Quick Shot nodded. "We could not figure out how to remove the devices from their horns so we had to leave them on." Tsunami said. Quick Shot smiled at him. "Well then. I shall have a message sent to Princess Celestia at once." He said.

"That will not be necessary; I will be traveling to Canterlot myself to inform the Princesses." Tsunami said. "They will be quite surprised to see me I believe." He said. Quick Shot nodded and turned to his men. "Get the devices off their horns and make sure they have a comfortable place to rest!" He yelled at them. He turned back to Tsunami. "Please follow me to my-" A shout from on board the ship caught his attention. "The great and powerful Trixie refuses to leave this ship until she can speak with the captain!" Tsunami slapped his forehead. "Not this again…" Quick Shot looked at the ship quizzically. "Is something wrong?" He asked. Tsunami groaned and led him on board. They stopped in front of Trixie who was staring at her guards defiantly.

She looked over at Quick Shot. "The great and powerful Trixie wishes to know if you are in charge!" She shouted at him. His eye twitched. "Um, yes I am. Is something wrong?" She smiled in triumph. "Trixie knew you were not the captain!" She yelled at Tsunami. He slapped his forehead again. "Trixie demands you release her this instant!" She yelled. Quick Shot looked at Tsunami. "Why is she referring to herself in the third pony?" He asked. "I have no idea." Tsunami responded. Quick Shot turned back to her. "You are not a prisoner, you have been rescued and are free now; we just need to take the device off your head and you can decide what to do from there." He told her. She threw her head in the air arrogantly. "This news pleases Trixie, remove it at once!" She shouted. Quick Shot sighed. "Follow me…" He led her down the gangplank and to the group of unicorns. He heard one of them groan when they saw her. "Remove the device from her head please." He said. None of them moved.

He looked at them confused. "What's wrong?" One of the unicorns in front spoke up. "You don't know who she is, do you?" Quick Shot shook his head. "She is the most arrogant, annoying, boastful pony that ever walked the lands of Equestria! She travels around in a wagon trying to show every pony she's better than them! I for one refuse to take that thing off her head." Trixie glared at the speaker in rage. "Trixie demands you remove this thing from her head!" Quick Shot flinched as she practically yelled in his ear. "Fine then. Teleport her to Canterlot and let Princess Celestia decide what to do with her." He said. He walked off as one of the unicorns used a teleporting spell on her. Admiral Tsunami followed behind him. "I shall leave for Canterlot at once! My ship will defend the port while I'm gone." He said. Quick Shot nodded his head. "Well it was nice to meet you, could you check and see what they've done with Trixie when you get there?" He said. Tsunami nodded and walked off toward the gate of the city with his two crew members behind him.


	34. Chapter 34 a new ally

**Canterlot castle**

A bright flash blinded Hawkeye as he walked down the main entrance hall. He looked up and saw a blue unicorn with a magic blocking device on her head. She looked around in surprise and saw him. "The great a powerful Trixie demands you remove this device from her head!" She yelled at him. He stared at her blankly and slowly looked behind him and back at her. "Yes, the great and powerful Trixie is speaking to you! Now remove the device from Trixie's head!" Hawkeye kept staring at her blankly. "Hold that thought." He said and walked over to the entrance. He looked around outside and saw Twilight walking by. "Hey Twilight! I need to borrow you for a moment!" He called out.

Twilight smiled and walked over to him. "What do you need?" Hawkeye flinched as behind him he heard. "The great and powerful Trixie is growing impatient!" Twilight sighed. "I know that voice…" She said in dread. She walked past Hawkeye and into the hall. Hawkeye followed her, shutting the door behind him. Trixie stared at Twilight in surprise. Hawkeye looked from Twilight to Trixie, then back to Twilight. "I think I'll just be going now…" Hawkeye said and started to walk away. "You aren't going anywhere! How did Trixie get into the castle?" Twilight asked. He shook his head. "There was a bright flash and she was just… here." He said.

"The great and powerful Trixie was teleported here from Manehatten!" She shouted. Hawkeye kept staring at her blankly. "You're going to loose your voice if you keep yelling like that." He said. Trixie glared at him and turned to Twilight. "Trixie demands you remove the device from Trixie's horn!" She shouted at her. "Would it be bad of me to knock her out and toss her off the side of the mountain?" Asked Hawkeye in annoyance. Twilight rolled her eyes. Her horn glowed and a moment later the magic blocking device broke off Trixie's horn.

"It is about time you took that horrid device off of Trixie's horn!" She yelled. Shinning armor came into the room. "What is all the yelling about?" He asked in an annoyed voice. "The great and powerful Trixie will now leave!" She shouted. Hawkeye slapped his forehead. "Seriously, if she shouts anymore I'll murder her!" He said. Trixie disappeared in a flash of light. Shinning Armor walked over to them. "Does one of you want to fill me in on what's happening here?"

**Outside the gates two days later**

Admiral Tsunami stopped outside of the gate that led into Canterlot. Wave stopped beside him and looked up to the top of the wall. "Wow. It's huge!" He said. Tsunami laughed and walked up to the two guards guarding the entrance. They jumped at the sight of him and crossed their spears. "Traitor! We will not let you through!" One of them yelled at him. The crew member he had brought with him, maelstrom, half pulled out his cutlass. Tsunami stopped him with a wave of his hand. "I suppose you two already know me but I'll introduce myself regardless. My name is Admiral Tsunami. I wish to speak with Princess Celestia." He said while bowing. The guards looked at one another but stayed where they were.

Tsunami frowned at them. "May we please pass?" He asked. They shook their heads. Wave stepped forward. "Let us pass or there'll be trouble!" He pulled out his sword and shook it at them menacingly. "Put that way Wave; if the guards will not let us pass then we shall simply wait until some pony with better judgment comes along." He walked over to and sat down on the side of the road. Wave sheathed his sword glaring at the guards and sat down next to him. Maelstrom did the same.

Shinning Armor walked by the gate after about an hour and saw the three of them sitting on the side of the road. He stopped and looked at Tsunami in surprise. "Admiral Tsunami?" He asked. Tsunami looked up and smiled at Shinning Armor. "Greetings friend, it has been a long time since we last saw each other." Shinning glared at him. "We're not friends now. What are you even doing here?" He asked. Tsunami stood up and brushed off the front of his armor. "I simply wished to speak with Princess Celestia. But your guards here are doing an exceptional job of keeping out of the city." He said. "Well that's their job. Now leave before I have you killed as a traitor." He said.

Admiral Tsunami frowned. "But I have done nothing wrong." Shinning laughed sarcastically. "Oh really? You joined Insurrection's army; as far as I'm concerned that's desertion." Tsunami shook his head. "I will admit that I joined his army, but my crew and I have not done anything. Our first assignment was to drown fifty unicorns in the gulf. I disregarded the order and instead set them free in Manehatten. All I wish to do here is speak with Princess Celestia." He said.

Shinning thought for a while. _'He isn't the kind of pony to lie… but still he did join Insurrection's army.' _He growled in frustration. "Fine then! Follow me and I'll take you to Princess Celestia. If you try anything I'll blast your legs off with magic." He said. Tsunami laughed. "Just like when you threatened to blow off my private area if I tried to ask your sister on a date!" He followed him smiling. Shinning couldn't help but smile at the memory as well.

Along the way to the castle Tsunami recounted all the times Shinning had threatened to blow something off him putting Shinning in a good mood by the time they reached the castle. He led the three to the meeting room doors and told them to wait outside. Tsunami stood outside the door waiting. After a moment Shinning opened the door and beckoned him inside. He walked through the door and was instantly surrounded by spear heads. He stopped in his tracks and stared at the one in front of him with wide eyes. There were seven guards with spears surrounding him.

"Why have you come here Admiral?" He heard. He looked up at princess Celestia still surprised from having spears shoved in his face. "I simply wished to speak to you about joining your war effort." His eyes dropped back down to the spears. He lifted a hoof and tapped the end of one. "Why would you want to join me after deserting to become part of Insurrection's military?" She asked him. He explained what Insurrection's first mission for him had been and how he had refused. Princess Celestia considered his response. "Will you consent to having your mind searched?" She asked. He nodded his head. Feather Pen walked over and searched his mind with magic. She stopped after a minute and turned to the Princess. "He's telling the truth." She said.

The spears were lowered from his throat and the guards went back to their spots standing at the walls. Tsunami rubbed his throat and smiled at the Princess. "Is your ship still sea worthy?" She asked. "Yes, my ship has sustained no damage and is ready to set sail any time." He said. Princess Celestia nodded her head and turned to Shinning. "Please take him to one of the guest rooms. He and his men can stay for the night." Shinning armor saluted and led him out of the room.


	35. Chapter 35 remembrance

Tsunami followed Shinning while telling him about his walk up to Canterlot. When he finished telling the story Shinning turned to him smiling. "I bet I have a better story to tell you!" Tsunami smiled back at him. "Well then tell me!" Shinning told him about the helicopter crash and the four, now three, mysterious ponies that were helping them combat Insurrection. Tsunami shook his head in wonder. "That is incredible! I believe I have met one of the ponies you have described in Manehatten!" They turned a corner and bumped into Hawkeye and Twilight.

"Admiral Steam!" Exclaimed Twilight in surprise. Shinning looked at him questioningly. "Steam?" He asked. Tsunami smiled shyly at the floor, "Yes. That is my first name. Admiral Steam Tsunami." He said. Shinning grinned at him. "I never knew that!" Steam looked up at Twilight. "Hello Twilight, how have you been?" She kept staring at him in surprise. "I thought you joined Insurrection's army!" Shinning smiled and put his arm around Steam's shoulder. "He came to his senses and deserted." He said.

"So Equestria _does _have a navy?" Hawkeye asked in confusion. Shinning nodded. "Now we do." Twilight smiled at Steam. "Welcome back Steam." She said pleasantly. He nodded. "Thank you Twilight. What is your name?" He asked Hawkeye. "Private- I mean General Hawkeye. I keep forgetting that I got a promotion." He said extending a hoof. Steam shook it and looked at him confused. "You jumped from private to general in one promotion?" He asked.

Shinning explained that Hawkeye was a private before joining Equestria's army and had been appointed General by Princess Celestia. "I suppose that makes sense." Steam said still a little confused. Shinning Armor remembered that he was supposed to be showing Steam to his room. "Well it was nice chatting but I was just showing Steam here to his room." Steam looked behind him. "Wait, what happened to Wave and Maelstrom?" Shinning glanced behind them. "The other guards took them to their rooms." He said. Steam nodded. "Well it was nice seeing you again Twilight and it was nice to meet you General Hawkeye." Shinning led him off.

They stopped in front of a large door. Shinning opened it and walked inside. Steam followed him in and looked around the room. It was a simple room with a bed, a table, and a chair. There was a door near the end of the room that he assumed was either a bathroom or a way to get into the room next door. "This will be your room while you stay here. Well it was nice catching up with you… Steam." He said. He smiled and took off his helmet. "It was nice seeing you as well Shinning." Shinning left the room, closing the door behind him.

Steam set his helmet on the table and sat down on the chair. He thought for a while then stood up. "Might as well see how well I remember the castle as long as I am here." He thought out loud. He opened the door and walked out. He closed the door and walked down the hallway until he found a staircase. He walked down it and made his way through the passageways until he found the front entrance. "Ha! Apparently I can remember things!" He turned to walk to the armory. He turned a corner and almost bumped into a white unicorn with a purple mane.

He took a step back in surprise. "Oh, I am terribly sorry miss. I am afraid I did not see you there." He said. Rarity looked at him. "I don't believe I've seen you around here. What is your name?" Steam bowed politely. "My name is Admiral Tsunami. It is a pleasure to meet you." Rarity smiled at him. "My name is Rarity, it is a pleasure to meet you Admiral." She extended her hoof for a hoof shake. "Miss Rarity, what a beautiful name." He took her hoof and kissed it. She giggled "You are quite the gentle pony Admiral."

They walked together down the hall talking. Rarity stopped in front of her room. "How long were you staying here Admiral?" She asked. "I was only planning on staying for the night." He said. "Oh what a shame, I wish you could stay longer." He smiled at her. "I wish I could as well but I must return to my ship as soon as I can." Steam responded. "I see." Rarity said in a disappointed voice. "I will very likely be back here before too long." He said. She nodded and smiled at him. "It was very nice talking with you Admiral." She said. "Please, call me Steam." He said. She kissed him on the cheek. "Good bye Steam." She walked into her room and closed the door leaving him blushing in the hallway.


	36. Chapter 36 assassination attempt

The sky turned a bright shade of orange as the sun sank below the mountains. All was quiet as the day turned into night. The shadows grew longer as the sun sank lower making the city dark. At last the sun sank below the mountains and all turned dark. The guards at their posts on the wall surveyed the landscape with trained eyes for movement.

Hawkeye was walking back to his room by the light of the torches mounted on the wall. He passed a hall with all the torches unlit and stopped. He squinted down it searching for movement in the dark. He walked down the hallway cautiously so as not to bump into anything in the darkness. He heard a quiet thud and dropped to the floor. He drew his knife and crawled on his belly to where the noise had come from.

Hawkeye could just barely see a doorway in the darkness. He crept up to it and pushed it lightly with his hoof. The door was unlatched. He quietly pushed it open enough that he could squeeze inside. There wasn't any light in the room so he stood still by the door. After a moment he heard a voice whisper, "Is he gone?" Hawkeye hardly breathed as he heard some pony walk over to the door. He could just barely see the pony in the darkness. The pony cautiously opened the door and looked around outside.

"I don't see him anywhere." Whispered the pony at the door. Hawkeye didn't recognize the voice. "Now what?" Asked the voice near the edge of the room. The pony at the door walked back to the wall. "Dousing the torches to hide those bodies was a good idea, but I don't think it will last long. We need to get to Shinning Armor's room quick." Hawkeye almost gasped. _'Assassins!' _He thought. He still couldn't see anything in the darkness. "We can't take the main hallways any more, there are too many guards. Let's take a look at your map, is there a servants corridor or something?" A small light flickered on where the voices were. Hawkeye was just out of the light range so they couldn't see him. He studied their faces. One of them was blue with a big scar running down his eye. The other was forest green and his eyes were two different colors.

They looked at the map for a while before one of them pointed at it and whispered, "There! There's a servants hallway. It looks like the door is right across the hallway too!" They closed the map and put out the light. He heard them walk to the door and walk out. He followed them quietly and saw light come into the hallway as they opened the servant's door. The light lit the hall way enough that Hawkeye could see the corpses of two guards pushed up against the walls. The door closed and the hallway was dark again.

Hawkeye sprinted down the hallways toward Shinning Armor's room. He passed several guards on the way that had to jump out of his way as he ran past. He reached Shinning Armor's door and knocked on it loudly. Princess Cadence answered the door. She smiled at him sweetly, "Is there something wrong Hawkeye." He looked down the hallway in both directions. "I need to speak to Shinning Armor." He said. Cadence frowned at him. "He's talking with princess Celestia right now. Did something happen?"

"Sort of. I'm going to have to stay here until Shinning gets back." He said rocking back and forth. She looked at him confused but let him in. He drew his knife and stood on both legs next to the door. "Turn off the lights and lock yourself in your room. I'll explain later." He could hear two sets of hooves coming down the hallway. She shook her head and put out the lights. A moment later he heard her shut her door and lock it. Hawkeye waited until he heard the door handle slowly turn. The door opened silently but no light came in. _'They must have put out the torches in the hallway.' _

He gripped the knife tightly and prepared to spring forward. The two assassins walked into the dark room as quietly as possible and lit a torch. When he could see them he sprang forward with a shout. His knife caught the blue pony in the jugular and caused blood to splatter the walls. The other assassin yelped in surprise and yanked out a dagger of his own. Hawkeye pushed the corpse off his blade and turned to face the other pony. The assassin looked at the door nervously and back to Hawkeye. He put himself in between the assassin and the door. Princess Cadence opened her door and looked out. The assassin saw her and smiled.

The pony ran at her with his knife raised. She backed up into the room in surprise. Hawkeye lifted the dagger over his head and threw it at the assassin. It caught him in the center of his neck, severing his spinal cord causing him to collapse just inches from cadence. She stared at the room in shock and looked back up at Hawkeye. There was a knock at the door. "Cadence!? Are you alright!?" Hawkeye recognized Shinning's voice.

Shinning Armor held Cadence in his arms as Hawkeye explained to them about the dark hallway and how he had overheard the two assassin's talking. Shinning nodded. "I was speaking with Princess Celestia when a guard rushed in and said he'd found two of the dead guards. I ran here as fast as I could to make sure Cadence was ok." He hugged her tighter. "I guess I'm lucky you were here to protect her." Hawkeye shrugged. "I'm really sorry about the mess though." He gestured to the blood splattered wall and the pool of blood that was still growing on the floor. Cadence smiled at him. "Don't worry about it; I'll have it clean in no time. Thank you for saving my life." Hawkeye bowed and stood up to leave. "I should get some sleep. Good night you two." He left the room and closed the door behind him with a sigh.


	37. Chapter 37 surprise attack

The next morning brought bad news. As Hawkeye was sitting at his table eating breakfast when a guard walked in. "Manehatten was attacked last night. The entire city was burned to the ground." He said. Hawkeye froze; his fork halfway to his mouth with his mouth wide open. He set the fork down on the plate carefully and turned to face the guard. "Were there any survivors?" The guard nodded his head. "A unicorn teleported to us this morning. He said that Quick Shot had everyone in town evacuated on a ship when the army broke through the secondary defenses." Hawkeye slumped in relief.

Hawkeye followed the guard to the meeting room where Feather Pen, Shinning Armor, and Princess Celestia were waiting for him. "There is nothing left of Manehatten so there's no point in recapturing it." Said Feather Pen as he sat down. Shinning Armor looked at Hawkeye in annoyance. "I think we should take it back, we could use that harbor." He said. Hawkeye shook his head. "Feather Pen is right, there's no point in taking back Manehatten. We should focus our energy on taking over Appleloosa and Fillydelphia." He said. Shinning looked shocked. "Why those two cities?" He asked. Hawkeye pointed at the map. "They are both secluded and near us. If we can take both of them there won't be anything stopping us from taking Hoofington. The port there will serve just as well if not better than Manehatten's." He said.

"We should get this done as soon as we can so that Quick Shot can land at Hoofington." Hawkeye said. Shinning Armor nodded and started folding up the map. "I'll start mobilizing the troops, should we strike Appleloosa first or Fillydelphia?" Feather Pen cut in. "We should definitely take down Fillydelphia first! Then the bigger city can't send reinforcements to Appleloosa!" She looked proud of herself. "Wrong. We take down Appleloosa first. Then we make our way east. If we were to take over Fillydelphia first Hoofington would send troops to recapture it." Hawkeye said. He nodded to Shinning Armor and stood up from his chair. "Fine then…" Said Feather Pen disappointed. They all got up and left the room leaving princess Celestia behind. She stared at the door in disbelief. "Am I even needed at these things?" She thought out loud.

**Outside the wall**

The guards were playing cards when they heard a faint thumping noise. One of them set his cards on the table in annoyance and went to the edge of the wall. He could see a large mass of ponies marching up to the wall. He cried out in alarm. The guard was about to blow the horn when an arrow whizzed up from the army and smacked him in the forehead. The other guard jumped up and attempted to blow the horn. Another arrow flew up and hit him in the side of the neck. He stumbled around a bit and collapsed.

The army charged the gate and bashed it down with a battering ram. They poured through the gates and into the city.

Hawkeye looked up in alarm when he heard the shouting. He stood up from where he was sitting at his table and looked out the window. He could see a large mass of earth ponies charging up to the castle. "Shit!" He ran from the window and grabbed his dagger. He left his flak jacket and helmet where they hung on the wall and ran out the door. He sprinted toward the armory while yelling at the top of his voice, "We're under attack!" He opened the armory door and picked up the M240H. It was really heavy so he had trouble carrying it standing on two legs.

He arrived at the stood at the top of the stairs aiming the gun at the front doors that the guards were trying to hold shut. They saw him on the stairs and jumped out of the way to let the doors open. As the first pony came through the door he opened fire. He had to lean forward slightly so that the kickback of the gun wouldn't knock him backwards. The bodies of ponies piled up higher and higher at the doors until the others literally had to climb over a pile of dead bodies. The gun stopped firing. He checked to see if there was any ammo left but it had all been fired. He ran down the stairs and threw the heavy gun over the pile of dead bodies knocking a pony of the top of the pile and into the crowed behind it. He drew his knife and prepared to fight.


	38. Chapter 38 awkward moment

The guards took their positions on either side of Hawkeye with their swords drawn. The ponies flooded over their dead companions and charged the guards. Hawkeye killed a pony and picked up his sword. The entire time they were fighting the guards and Hawkeye had to back up. The pony Hawkeye was fighting had a clear shot at his head and went for it. Just then Hawkeye tripped over the first stair and fell to the ground. The sword went harmlessly over his head.

He kicked the attacker away and ran up the stairs. "Everypony fall back! Find reinforcements!" He turned and slashed at the ponies who tried to follow him up the stairs. The guards ran for the side hallways with most of the ponies following them. Hawkeye killed two more ponies and looked at the door. Ponies had stopped coming in. He looked around the room; it was littered with corpses and was bathed in blood.

He started walking down the blood stained stairs. He could hear shouting and fighting coming from almost every direction. Hawkeye was about to help in the fighting when he heard a pony clearing her voice.

Hawkeye looked to the side of the door. Standing there was a very familiar dark grey pony with a neon blue mane. "Hello Hawkeye. How is your morning going?" He laughed bitterly. "Could use a little less red. How about yours?" She smiled at him. "It could use a little _more _red." She drew two serrated short swords and pointed one at his chest. "I've gotten much better since our last encounter." Hawkeye nodded his head. "I sure hope so, otherwise this wouldn't be a fair fight." He got into a ready stance with the sword at eye level and his dagger near his waist.

Hawkeye wasted no time in charging at her. He used a body as a spring board and launched himself at her. Aqua jumped to the side in surprise and swung at his neck. He blocked it with his sword. He lashed out with his knife and ducked under a swipe from her sword. Aqua tripped over a corpse as she backed up a pace. Hawkeye used the opportunity to smack one of the swords from her hoof.

She growled in frustration and backed up to one of the side doors. He followed her slashing with his sword and knife. He thrust at her with the knife but she ducked under it. The knife embedded itself in the wood of the door. He let go of it and held the sword in both hoofs. Aqua kicked open the door and ran inside with Hawkeye close behind.

There was a table in the center of the room with five chairs around it. Aqua jumped up on top of the table and faced him.

He rolled his eyes and broke one of the table's legs by kicking it. Aqua cried out in surprise as the table tipped forward and sent her rolling off into one of the walls. She stood and shook her head. She lunged at him once she had regained her footing. He didn't even bother dodging as her hoof stopped an inch from his chest. "Forgetting something?" He asked. She looked behind her startled to see that she had dropped her sword.

Hawkeye raised the blade over his head and swung it down at her head. Aqua stepped to the side just in time and kicked the sword out of his hands. Hawkeye tackled her without warning throwing them both to the floor. They rolled around trying to get advantage over the other for a while. Hawkeye grabbed one of her arms and locked it to her side while she pinned his other arm against her. She tried kicking him as they struggled so he wrapped his legs around hers to prevent them from moving and smacked his head into hers. Just then three of the attackers burst into the room. "Lady Aqua! Are you-" He stopped and stared at the two of them. "This isn't really the time for that lady Aqua." He said. Hawkeye disentangled himself from her and rolled away laughing. Aqua stood up and shook her head while blushing. "No! It's not like that! We were fighting!" Hawkeye doubled over laughing and had to hold onto a chair so that he wouldn't fall over. The soldier shook his head and smiled at her. "Whatever you say." The three left the room laughing.

Aqua glared at Hawkeye who was having trouble breathing from laughter. "Shut up!" She yelled at him. Her yelling at him caused him to laugh harder. She quivered in rage then loosened up a bit. After a bit she started laughing as well. Aqua recovered from laughter first and picked up her sword. Hawkeye waved his hoof at her chuckling. "Wait, how about we just talk." He said. She looked at him funny. "Why do you want to just talk at a time like this?" He sat down in one of the chairs to catch his breath. "I just want to know why you joined Insurrection, how your stab wound is doing, just chat." She looked at him with an eyebrow raised but sat in a chair across from him.


	39. Chapter 39 an explanation

**This chapter contains references to WWII and the Holocaust. If you're one of the idiots who believes that the Holocaust didn't happen I will mentally spit in your idiot face.**

Steam was in his room when he heard Hawkeye running down the hallway yelling that they were under attack. He quickly buckled on his armor and slapped his helmet onto his head. He buckled on his saber and pushed open his door to leave. He stopped when he heard banging coming echoing down the hall from the direction of the main doors. The noise stopped after a while and was replaced by the sounds of sword fighting and dying men. He resumed running.

Two guards were backing down a hallway fighting off almost twenty soldiers. Steam drew his sword and ran at the group. The guards were slightly surprised to see him but kept fighting. With Steam added to their group the guards were able to defeat the soldiers. One of the guards turned to him. "They're killing civilians in the next hall over, all unicorns. We need to hurry!" Steam ran after them. _'Wait! Rarity's room is in the next hallway, isn't it?' _He quickened his pace.

Steam recoiled in horror as he turned the corner and saw bloody corpses of unicorns strewn about the floor. A group of soldiers were breaking into rooms and dragging unicorns out to be killed. He raised his sword and ran at the soldiers shouting to intimidate them.

He rammed into the group slashing his sword in every direction. Blood drenched him as his sword flew from one enemy to the other. He cut one of them from the stomach all the way up to his chin causing his guts to spill onto the floor. He looked around for more enemies and saw none left. The guards turned the corner and looked at him horrified. "What did you do?!" One of them yelled at him. Steam smiled sadly and pointed his sword at one of the enemy soldiers.

He ran to Rarity's door and found it still intact. He knocked on the door loudly. "Rarity! Are you in there? It is me! Admiral Steam!" The door opened slowly and Rarity looked out at him. She looked around the hallway nervously and gagged as she saw the corpses. He hugged her. "I was worried they had gotten to you! Are you ok?" She embraced him back and started crying into his shoulder. He turned to the guards. "Keep going, I will get the remaining civilians to safety." They nodded and ran off down the hall way.

Steam had Rarity and her sister stay in their room until he had the remaining civilians out in the hallway. The soldiers had killed most of them off so there were only ten left excluding rarity and her sister. He opened her door and motioned for her to come out. "My name is Admiral Steam. I will do my best to ensure your safety as we make our way to Princess Celestia. We must hurry before more soldiers come." He told them. He led them in the direction where there weren't any corpses and turned to go to the main dinning room.

**Hawkeye and Aqua**

They watched each other for a while then Hawkeye spoke. "How is your stomach, you were bleeding pretty badly after the last time we met." She felt her stomach and smiled a little. "It healed well. Though there will be a scar there for the rest of my life." Hawkeye nodded and rubbed the side of his head. "Why did you join Insurrection? Is he a friend or family or something?" He asked. She shook her head. "It happened a long time ago, I was caught in a rockslide and he saved me. I swore that I would repay him so I kind of became his body guard. He eventually told me about his plan to bring equality to all of Equestria, he just needed more allies and materials."

"I went out to different cities and found ponies that would join him. When you four showed up he finally had everything he needed to start his mission. I was a little shocked at first when his plan involved taking the magic away from unicorns, but it made sense when he explained that unicorns were at the heart of inequality." Hawkeye interrupted her. "How exactly are the unicorns to blame?" She put her head in her hoof as she explained. "The fact that unicorns are the only ponies that can use magic, he showed me how nearly every position of power was filled with a unicorn and how they did next to nothing to help the poor and needy." He nodded. "That makes sense, but is that really worth going to war over?" She sat up straight and raised her head proudly. "Sacrifices must be made in order to maintain equality." He nodded his head slowly. "Where I come from an event a lot like this took place." He started; she looked at him mildly interested. "At the time my people thought we could just ignore it and pretend it wasn't happening. Eventually though we had to join. We called it World War Two. A group of… ponies… that called themselves the Jews were targeted and slaughtered in mass numbers because one pony said they were to blame. When the war ended nearly six million of the Jews had been mercilessly slaughtered." She looked at him in shock. "What did they do to make themselves a target?" She asked. He shook his head. "They did absolutely nothing other than be where they were. That one pony caused the death of more than eighty million… ponies…" He said. He looked her in the eyes. "I believe that is exactly what will happen here if Insurrection continues on his course." He said. She shook her head. "No! He wouldn't do that! He has killed a few, yes, but he is only blocking their use of magic!"

He shook his head sadly. "That's how world war two started; first he made every pony hate the Jews. He then took away their rights and made them live in horrible conditions. Then he started killing them in horrible ways. Remember this conversation when he decides to start exterminating unicorns." Hawkeye stood up grimly. Aqua shook her head in defiance. "He won't! He's not like that! I… he wouldn't…" She put her head in her hooves. "Just remember and when the time comes I hope you'll make the right decision." He said. He picked up his sword off the ground and left the room. Aqua sat in the chair for a while longer then stood up. She slowly picked her sword up off the ground. _'Insurrection wouldn't… would he?'_


	40. Chapter 40 confusion

Hawkeye was fighting a group of enemies when he heard the Princess's voice in his head. _'Everypony evacuate to the main dinning hall. I am teleporting everypony out in five minutes.' _He cut down one of his enemies and stabbed his sword through the heart of the next. _'She must be speaking to everypony telepathically.' _He finished off the group as quickly as he could and started running toward the main dinning hall.

Steam got the message as well. "We are already heading that way, come on we must hurry!" He told the unicorns he was leading. The door was up ahead of them. There was a purple shimmering field around the door way. Steam tried to go through it but it felt like a solid barrier. The unicorns were able to pass through it without any problems though. The purple field dissipated allowing him to pass through but returned when he was inside. He looked around and saw Wave and Maelstrom standing in the corner. He smiled in relief and waved at them.

Hawkeye ran headfirst into the barrier and was thrown back several feet. He looked up dizzily. The barrier parted and allowed him to go through into the room. Inside were around thirty guards, Shinning Armor, Cadence, Princess Luna, Princess Celestia, about fifty unicorns, Admiral Steam, and The six ponies who he recognized from ponyville. He tried to remember their names but could only remember Twilight.

"The five minutes is up! We're leaving now!" Her horn started glowing and little spheres of energy were attracted toward it. "Wait! There are still guards out there!" Somepony called out. The princess didn't stop and suddenly a bright light enveloped the room. The flash blinded everyone in the room and they disappeared.

**The castle gates**

Insurrection paced up and down the row of ten guards who his army had captured. Every other pony was dead or had been teleported away with the Princesses. He stopped in front of one of them. "How does it feel to know your princess has abandoned you to the enemy?" He asked cruelly. The guard glared at him fiercely. "She did not abandon us, she gave us five minutes to reach the dinning hall before she left and we didn't make it in time. It is our fault she left without us.

He tsk tsked at him and turned to the rest of the guards. "Do any of you blame your princess for you fate?" He asked. They all glared at him and shook their heads. "Very well then! Kill them all." He said. Aqua looked at him in shock. "Insurrection! Why do you want these ponies killed?!" She asked. He turned and patted her on the head. "I have my reasons for doing things. You have your reasons for doing things. Have I ever questioned your judgment?" She shook her head sadly and watched as the ten soldiers standing behind the guards drew their swords. They pulled back their swords and thrust them through each of the guard's chest. She looked away as the guards screamed in pain and writhed on the end of the blades until they died.

Aqua sat at the front of the gate and thought while the soldiers burned the castle down. The heads had been cut off the guards and mounted on poles outside of the gate, their bodies burned in a pit. She couldn't look at the heads without growing cold all over. _'What if Insurrection does decide to kill the unicorns. He told me they were just going to be imprisoned for a while and have their magic taken away.' _She thought about what Hawkeye had told her in the castle. She held her head in frustration and growled. One of the soldiers walked up to her. She remembered him as one of the prisoners that had been returned after the first assault on the castle.

He sat down next to her and tried to smile comfortingly. "Is something wrong?" She looked up at him. "I'm fine, just a little tired after a day of fighting." She lied. He nodded his head. "Don't worry; you aren't the only one who is questioning Insurrection's judgment right now." He said. He placed a hoof on her shoulder. She smiled at him a little. "What's your name soldier?" He took his hoof off her shoulder and saluted. "Sergeant Emerald at your service." She laughed a little. "Now what's really bothering you?" He asked. She looked at the ground and sighed. "I had a conversation with one of the enemies, the one that ran me through with a dagger." He nodded his head in concern. "He told me about an event that occurred where he comes from similar to this. It just got me thinking if this is really the right thing to do. Serve Insurrection I mean." She said. Emerald nodded. "I've also been wondering that. Insurrection made unicorns sound like cruel and unreasonable ponies. But when I was a prisoner they treated me almost as if I wasn't a prisoner at all. Then they released us without trying to force information from us." He said. Aqua nodded her head and smiled at him. "Thank you for trying to cheer me up." He nodded and smiled at her; he then patted her shoulder and stood up to leave. Aqua stood up as well and walked with him back into the town.

**Here ends part 1**


	41. Chapter 41 Arrival in Prance

**This chapter is a little slow. It's mostly a break from all the action by following Rarity and Steam's side story. **

**Part 2: Allies in Prance**

Hawkeye rubbed his eyes and looked around. They appeared to be in a very large domed building. There were seats all along the walls getting higher up as they got closer to the walls. In the back of the room were two large thrones made of wood. "Welcome to Pearis Prance." Said Princess Celestia. Everypony looked around in wonder. "What building is this?" Asked Twilight. Hawkeye walked over to the door and looked outside through the window on it. "This is a place where the leaders, governors, and mayors meet to discuss many things of importance. A meeting is held once every two years." Princess Celestia responded.

Outside Hawkeye could see ponies walking around in clothing similar to what ponies from Canterlot wore. He shook his head in wonder. He turned around and looked at the princesses. "Where exactly are we staying?" He asked. Princess Celestia smiled at him. "President Red Wine will provide us with a place to stay in the palace. In the meantime I'd like to meet with Shinning Armor, Feather Pen, and Hawkeye. Everyone else enjoy the city. I will contact you telepathically when our rooms are ready."

Everyone left the building except for the three she had specified. They pulled chairs down to the center of the room and sat down. "The capital has fallen to Insurrection. He has control of the entire country now." Princess Celestia began. "I wish we could just march back into Equestria but we don't have the troops or recourses to do so." Hawkeye only half paid attention as he thought of all their options. She seemed to be done talking so he spoke. "Do we have any allies that would help us? Obviously Prance is willing to let us stay here but will they fight alongside us?" He asked. Princess Luna shook her head. "Prance is only willing to let us stay for a while. We have not yet contacted our other allies." Hawkeye nodded his head. _'I can tell this is going to be a long meeting.' _He thought.

Steam left when Princess Celestia dismissed them and made his way to Rarity. "Greetings Rarity. How are you feeling?" He asked. She smiled at him. "I'm better now that we're away from all the killing." He nodded his head and smiled. "If it is all right with you I would like to accompany you as you explore the city." She nodded her head. "I would very much appreciate that Steam." He walked up next to her. He looked at Sweetie Belle. "I do not believe I have had the pleasure of meeting you madam." He smiled at her sweetly. "My name's Sweetie Belle, I'm Rarity's little sis!" She smiled at him shyly. "Well it is a pleasure to meet you miss Sweetie Belle. I do hope you won't mind if I accompany you and your sister." She nodded her head. "Good! Now where shall we go Rarity?" She hugged him. "Thank you Steam, for everything." Sweetie Belle made a gagging noise.

Rarity led him to all kinds of clothing stores and boutiques. He followed along happily and listened intently to Rarity telling him about different kinds of styles and other fashion things. He found it mildly interesting but found himself bored after the fifth clothing store. He tried to act like he was interested but must have been doing a poor job at it. Rarity turned to him concerned. "I'm sorry; I must be boring you by taking you to all these clothing stores. Is there anywhere you would like to see?" He smiled at her. "Well I have heard that Prance has amazing gardens and parks. I would not mind visiting one such place." He said. She nodded. "Then we shall visit one of the gardens." Sweetie Belle groaned. "I don't want to go to some boring old garden." Steam smiled and kneeled down so that he was looking her in the eyes. "Do not worry, just a quick stroll through the gardens and we will do something that you would like to do." She nodded her head with a pout on her face.

"It's so beautiful! The flowers just look wonderful!" Rarity admired the rose garden in awe. Steam walked up next to her to look as well. "Yes, they are quite beautiful. This garden is so big I fear we will not have enough time to view it all." Sweetie Belle rocked back and forth impatiently. "Alright! You've seen the flowers now let's gooo!" She complained. Rarity sighed in exasperation. "Honestly Sweetie Belle, you could be a little less impatient! Why can't you just enjoy the scenery?" Steam was about to say something when he heard Princess Celestia's voice in his head. _'Everypony please make your way to the palace, Feather Pen will be waiting outside to tell you where your room is.' _Steam sighed. "I was hoping we would be able to see more of the gardens. I suppose we should start going to the palace now." Rarity nodded and they started walking out of the gardens.


	42. Chapter 42 a poem in the night

The meeting had ended with an agreement between all five present that more allies were needed to take down Insurrection. The meeting had taken nearly four hours to complete and Hawkeye was exhausted. He sluggishly followed Princess Celestia and Luna to the palace. President Red Wine was waiting out front for them. Her coat was dark red while her mane was more of a scarlet. She wore her mane straight and parted to one side with a purple beret. Her cutie mark was a glass of red wine with a bunch of red grapes next to it. _'How very stereotypical French.' _He thought. "Velcome to zee capital of Prance! I hope zat you vill enjoy your stay 'ere." She said in a very thick French accent. "Thank you for allowing us to stay here. We will leave as soon as we possibly can." Princess Celestia responded. "eet is no problem at all! Stay as long as you need to!" The Princess nodded her head and walked inside with Red Wine.

Red Wine gave them rooms to sleep in. There weren't very many so ponies had to be grouped together in fours. Hawkeye got a room with Bolt and two guards. He realized he didn't know any of the guard's names. "Well I'm very tired. I think I'll just seep now." Hawkeye told the three. He looked at them menacingly. "I don't want to be woken up unless I'm needed, got that?" The three of them nodded their heads. "Good. Good night then." He jumped into one of the beds and sprawled out on top of it.

_Hawkeye opened his eyes and jumped in surprise. He was floating nearly ten feet off the ground. He looked around and saw he was floating above the streets of Canterlot. He looked back down at the street and saw it full of bloody corpses. Two ponies were fighting each other with swords in the center of the street. 'I wonder if I could get lower.' He started descending to the ground as if thinking of the action was all he needed to do. He landed on the ground lightly and looked back to the two ponies. "Kestrel!" He exclaimed in surprise._

_The two kept on fighting as though he didn't exist. He tried to run up to them but it seemed as though he wasn't making any progress. The two stopped fighting and looked toward the castle. He then realized that he couldn't hear anything. He watched as they exchanged some words and went back to fighting. He cheered as Kestrel started pushing back the strange pony even though he knew they couldn't hear him. They stopped again and Kestrel smiled at him. The pony took on an expression of rage and stabbed his sword through Kestrel's chest._

"KESTREL NO!" He sat up right in bed panting. He was sweating all over but felt cold. Bolt sat up quickly and produced a dagger from seemingly no where. "What!? What's going on!?" He looked around the room and saw Hawkeye. "Hey, are you ok? You're turning white." He glanced over at the guards. They were snoring and showed no signs of waking up. "I just… just had a bad dream is all." Hawkeye turned and sat on the edge of the bed. Bolt put the dagger under his pillow and lay down again looking at Hawkeye. "You wanna talk about it?" He asked. Hawkeye shook his head. "Good! I didn't want to hear it anyway." Bolt turned over.

"I was floating above the streets of Canterlot, I saw Kestrel and some strange pony sword fighting below me." Bolt sighed in exasperation and rolled over to look at him. "I got onto the ground and watched them, but I couldn't hear anything and I couldn't move." He shuddered at the memory of not being able to move. "I watched as they fought and it seemed like Kestrel had the upper hand! But they turned to look toward the castle and they spoke. I couldn't hear them but the pony he was fighting was clearly upset. He drove his sword through Kestrel before he could react. I woke up after that." Bolt looked extremely bored. "Fascinating. Next time could you yell in your dream instead of real life?" Hawkeye glared at him. "Well you're a big help." Bolt shook his head. "I'm tired. Talk to me about it in the morning and I might care more. Now goodnight!" He turned over in the bed.

Hawkeye sat on the edge of the bed for a while longer. He thought about Quick Shot and Ace. _'I hope their doing ok.' _He looked out the window and into the starry sky. The stars seemed to shimmer in the darkness. The moon was big and bright in the sky casting a dark light that was just enough to see by. "Oh America, shall I ever see thee again? Shall I ever see your purple mountains, your amber waves of grain? Caught in this strange new world, never to return? Will I ever be able to bask in your warm sunlight, gaze up at the stars at night? Will I ever return to your warm, comforting embrace?" He whispered as he gazed out the window. Bolt groaned, "Beautiful, now shut up and go to sleep!" Hawkeye smiled sadly and lay back down in his bed.


	43. Chapter 43 smooth sailing

Quick Shot and Ace stood at the front of the ship, watching as Ib'xian grew larger in the distance. They had been at sea for nearly two weeks and the food supply was running low. They had decided that the best course of action was to stop in a neutral country to restock food and rest for a while. They had received word that the Princesses had to flee to Prance but there was only one way a ship this size could get to Prance. There was a river that would lead them to the southern area of Prance, but it went straight through Equestria and right past Derbyshire.

The total number of ponies on board the ship was around three hundred, nearly half of which were civilians and unicorns that had to be evacuated from Manehatten when Insurrection's army invaded. The increased number wasn't too big of a problem other than needing more food than the ship could carry. After a while they could see buildings growing bigger in the city Shanghay. The two of them walked down the gangplank when the ship was docked and stopped in front of a line of Ibexes In front of them stood the one who appeared in charge.

"Welcome to Shanghay ponies. We do not usually get your kind around these parts." He spoke perfect English but had a slight Chinese accent. "Thank you for welcoming us. We just need to pick up some supplies and we'll be on our way." The leader nodded and motioned for the line of Ibexes to disperse. Quick Shot waved at the sailors on the ship. Twenty or so walked down onto the docks and walked in different directions to find anywhere they could buy food and water.

Ace and Quick Shot followed the old Ibex as he gave them a tour of the city, telling them about different historical buildings and the likes. They finished the tour after around an hour and walked back to the ship. "If you don't mind me asking, where do you plan to go with all this food and so many ponies aboard?" Ace nodded his head. "You probably haven't heard but there is a civil war in Equestria. We need to take our ship through enemy territory and into Prance; it's the only way to get there by ship." He said. The Ibex nodded his head.

"I've heard rumors that a war had started, but I wasn't sure until you arrived." He scratched his chin and looked at them quizzically. "Well I wish you the best of luck on your journey." He said. Quick Shot nodded. "Thank you for allowing us to make port here. We may have starved otherwise." They said their goodbyes and the two ponies boarded the ship. They waved to the old Ibex as the ship left the harbor.

They were soon heading toward the mouth of the river that would lead them through Equestria, into Germaneigh, and finally into Prance. The trip took several days but at last they saw the opening of the large river. They hadn't seen any of Insurrection's navy which caused Ace to be nervous. He gathered the crew and spoke to them. "We will be passing through Equestria, and straight past Derbyshire. I want to stay as far away from the city as we can whilst we pass it. Keep the cannons ready and stay in your battle stations in case we have to fight." They all saluted and shouted "Aye sir!" They went off to their posts and made ready for the trip up the river.

The trip up the river was tense and nerve-wracking for Ace. He was afraid that an enemy war ship would appear and they would have to fight. They reached Derbyshire and stayed as close to the right bank as they could while they passed. Several cannons fired from Derbyshire but all fell short and splashed harmlessly into the water. Once they were past Derbyshire and arrived in Germaneigh waters he let out a breath of relief. Quick Shot seemed to visibly relax as well.

They passed out of Germaneigh and were finally in Prance waters. The ship made its way lazily to the port in Coat D'azor and docked without any problems. Waiting for them on the docks were Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Ace and Quick Shot waved to them as the gangplank was being lowered. They walked down and greeted them happily.

"There was little trouble coming here. We didn't see any of Insurrection's navy which kind of troubles me, but other than that nothing went wrong." Ace said as the unicorns came down off the ship. "Very good, I know somepony that will be very happy to see you both alright. As soon as I speak with the current captain of the ship we will teleport you and the unicorns to Pearis." Princess Celestia said. Ace nodded and waited by the end of the dock.


	44. Chapter 44 the right decision

"Quick Shot! Ace! You're alright!" Hawkeye embraced his friends with a stupid grin on his face. "Of course we're all right! It'll take a lot more than an army of ponies to take us down!" Ace and Quick Shot hugged him back. They stepped back from each other. "How was the voyage?" Hawkeye asked.

The three of them talked for nearly an hour before Shinning Armor broke them up. "Sorry to interrupt Hawkeye but Princess Celestia needs you." Hawkeye nodded and said goodbye to his friends. "What's up?" He asked as they walked along. "Princess Celestia is trying to negotiate with President Red Wine to join us in liberating Equestria." Hawkeye nodded. _'Heh, in World War Two the French weren't much of a help, but we are in a different world.' _He thought.

They arrived at the meeting room and pushed open the doors. "Thank you for joining us Hawkeye, please take a seat." Hawkeye walked up to the table and took a seat next to Feather Pen and Red Wine. "Ah, so you are 'awkeye, it is a pleasure to meet you." Red Wine extended a hoof to him. He shook it as he sat down. "We were just discussing the terms of a strategic alliance. Your input may be helpful here." Princess Celestia told him.

Hawkeye nodded and turned to face the President. "What do you want in exchange for helping us?" Red Wine smiled. "Ve only vish for a permanent trade route vith Canterlot." Hawkeye nodded his head and turned to Princess Celestia. "Is that a problem?" She nodded her head. "We may not have enough recourses to spare for a while after we liberate Equestria." Hawkeye nodded his head. "What were you planning on trading?" He asked Red Wine. "Ve vould be 'appy to trade fine vines for different fabrics, bronze, or Bits." Princess Celestia nodded her head. "We may be able to spare some of that. But you'll have to wait longer for items of better quality." Red Wine smiled. "It is a deal zen!" Hawkeye shook his head. "That didn't take long at all! Why did you need me to be here?" Princess Celestia smiled at him. "I like to have all of my advisors around during negotiations." Hawkeye shook his head smiling.

Over the next three days soldiers from all over Prance arrived in Pearis to form an army. By the end of the third day there were more than two thousand able bodied troops. Hawkeye trained them extensively in hoof to hoof combat, making sure they could hold their own in a fight and be able to fight longer. Princess Celestia contacted Germaneigh and a strategic alliance was formed. Negotiations took a long time but Germaneigh finally settled on a steady supply of bronze, gems, and two of the best scientists in Equestria. The troops from Germaneigh combined with the soldiers from Prance brought the total number of soldiers to just over five thousand.

**Insurrection's base of operations**

Insurrection stood behind a podium on a stage in front of the main base. He looked over the collection of officers and spoke. "Yesterday there was a revolt in the Detrot work camp. The small revolution was quelled quite easily. However; the unicorns have shown themselves to be unreasonable and dangerous. We have given them shelter, work to do, and how do they repay us? They attack us. We have been more than reasonable to them and yet they continue to believe we are suppressing them." The officers called out in agreement. "There cannot be peace or equality if the unicorns continue to hinder us!" The officers called out in agreement, louder this time. "We shall not tolerate this hindrance!" They yelled their agreements now. Aqua stood to one side of the podium growing more and more worried by the moment. "We must remove all obstacles in our way of peace and equality!" The crowed cheered in approval. "Today we will begin removing these obstacles!" The crowed cheered vigorously. Aqua felt a knot starting to form in her stomach. "We will start by removing the unicorns! They are the ones to blame for inequality! We have tried to be reasonable but they will not comply!" The crowed cheered loudly. "Return to your bases and enforce this new rule! Work them harder! Kill those to old, young, or sick to work! Work them until their hearts stop beating! Kill those who dare speak out against us! Together we shall rid the world of suppression and begin a new era of equality!" The crowed went wiled and thrust their hoofs in the air chanting, "Insurrection! Insurrection! Insurrection!" He smiled and put his arms out to the side while looking up to the sky. Aqua stared at him in horror. _'He was right! It's happening!' _She thought in despair. The cheers continued as she ran from the room in fright.

She met Emerald in the hallway. She ran up to him in tears. He took her shoulders and looked at her. "What happened?" A tear rolled down her cheek as she explained what happened at the meeting. He looked at her in horror. "He's doing what?!" She collapsed in his arms crying. He hugged her and patted her head trying to cheer her up. "I need to tell the others about this. We were already thinking about deserting, but now I think we have a solid reason to leave." She nodded her head. She got up out of his arms and wiped a tear from her eye. "I'm going to stay here. I have to do something." He nodded his head. "When you're done with it join us in Prance. The Equestrian army is gathering soldiers to invade there." She nodded and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you." He smiled and ran off to the barracks. She wiped a tear from her other eye and walked back toward the meeting grounds.

When she arrived all of the officers had dispersed. She found Insurrection standing in the shade of a tree with his guards. She walked toward him scowling. "Ah! There you are Aqua! You ran off after I finished my speech, I never got the chance to ask you how you liked it." She continued forward without speaking. He looked at her confused. "Is there something wrong Aqua?" She stood up on two legs and drew a knife from a sheath on her fore arm. Insurrection glared at her. "What is this!? Aqua! What do are you planning to do with that knife?" She continued forward without hesitating and twirled the dagger around in her hoof. Insurrection's mouth twitched. "Guards! Take her down! Do not kill her!" He yelled at them. They put on their helmets and drew short the short swords sheathed at their sides.

Aqua rushed forward and met them head on. She ducked under a slash from one guard and sent him sprawling with a kick to the gut. She blocked a second guard's attack with her dagger and broke his jaw with an upper cut. The last guard stabbed at her abdomen. She jumped to the side and slashed cracked his skull with the butt of her knife. She hardly slowed down at all and continued toward Insurrection. He reached into his suit pocket. "Don't come any closer Aqua." She continued forward. When she was within striking distance he pulled a small device out of his pocket and fired it. She felt intense pain as a bullet flew through her chest and out her back. The sound of the shot echoed throughout the base. She stopped in surprise and slowly looked down at her chest. Blood was seeping out of a hole, staining her fur red. She dropped to her knees. "I had such high hopes for you." Insurrection said pityingly. She fell to the ground gasping for breathe. "Such high hopes." She passed out.


	45. Chapter 45 realization

Aqua drifted in and out of consciousness. She was vaguely aware of being dragged. When she woke up next the world was hazy and spinning but she could see she was in a clearing of some kind. The next time she woke up she could hear somepony yelling at her, but she could hardly see him and he wasn't making any sense. The final time she awoke she could see she was moving. She blacked out.

When she woke up next she was fully aware of everything. She sat up but her wound shot needles of pain all over her body. She groaned and fell back onto the pallet. She looked around and saw that she was in a tent. "Hello?" She croaked. There was a rustling sound outside and a unicorn walked in. "You're awake! That's fantastic!" He walked over and dipped a washcloth in a bowl of red water. "Though you've reopened your wound. Please don't try to sit up." She nodded her head and watched as he removed the bandages from her chest. Instead of a hole there was an indent with raw meat showing.

"We resealed your wound so you wouldn't bleed to death. You're very lucky you know. If we hadn't found you when we did you'd be dead right now." He wrung out the cloth and gently tapped it on her wound. She winced in pain as the rough cloth made contact with the wound. He continued to dab the wound until there wasn't any blood coming out. He then re-sealed it with fresh bandages.

"What is your name?" He asked her. "Aqua Shade." She croaked with a little bit of effort. "Oh I'm sorry, you must be thirsty." He took a bowl of clean water and held it near her mouth. He tilted her head forward and slowly poured some of the water into her mouth. She drank it thankfully and smiled at him. "Thank you for saving my life." She said. He nodded. "My name is Doctor Snow. My family and I have been traveling toward Prance for a while now to avoid becoming prisoners. If you don't mind my asking, what happened to you?"

"I was in Insurrection's army. I decided to kill him when he made a speech about the mass killing of unicorns. He shot me with some strange device when I tried to kill him." Snow looked at her curiously. "My goodness! He's decided to start killing the unicorns?!" He exclaimed. She nodded her head. He frowned and looked toward the entrance of the tent worriedly. "I suppose my family and I best start hurrying to Prance then! But we can't just leave you behind…" She nodded her had. "I can try to walk." She suggested. He shook his head. "Your wound would reopen and may cause you to bleed to death." He thought for a while. "We could carry you on a stretcher." He suggested. "Are you sure? You could just leave me some food and water and go without me." She said. He shook his head and smiled at her. "I will not abandon a patient. We will carry you on a stretcher and that's that." She smiled at him gratefully. "Thank you." He nodded and walked out of the tent.

Around five minutes later she was loaded onto a stretcher and was set across the backs of Snow and his wife Lilly. They walked until dark and set up camp. The next morning they walked until it was dark again. They continued this until they were nearly at the border. By that time Aqua's wound had healed to the pointed where she could walk. At last on the fifth day of travel they crossed the border into Prance.

"Thank you so much for everything." She said. The nodded and smiled at her sadly. "Are you sure you need to go alone now? We could accompany you to where ever it is you are going." She shook her head. "I'd rather travel by myself now that I can. Once again thank you." They nodded to each other and parted ways. _'Insurrection had me believing unicorns were horrible, selfish ponies. I wonder why he hates them so much.' _She thought as she traveled toward Pearis.

**Pearis Prance**

Emerald and the thirty some ponies who had decided to desert stood in front of Princess Celestia. They were all bowing. "Please forgive us your majesty. We made a bad decision and wish to repent for our wrong doings." Emerald said. Princess Celestia smiled at him. "Do not worry. All is forgiven." Emerald looked up at her in relief. "Thank you. We would like to join your army. We also have information that may help you." She nodded and had Feather Pen lead them on a tour of the temporary base.

Four days later Aqua arrived. Hawkeye was standing on a hill admiring the view of the country side when he spotted her walking up toward him. "Aqua! What are you doing here?" He asked. "You were right. It started." She said bluntly. He looked at the ground sadly. "I was hoping it wouldn't." He sighed and looked back up at her. "A group of around thirty-seven ponies arrived four days ago to join us. I think you should go talk with them." He glanced down at her bandages. "What happened?" She frowned at him. They started walking toward the temporary base as she explained. "You tired to kill him!? That happened during the war I told you about as well, it's kind of ironic really." She looked at him in surprise. "What happened?" He laughed a little. "They failed miserably and were executed for treason." He said. She looked at him horrified. "How is that funny!?" He smiled at her. "I just think its funny how you tired the same thing and only got slightly better results than them."

They walked into the base and Hawkeye introduced Aqua to Princess Celestia. She welcomed Aqua and had Hawkeye show her to the others who had abandoned insurrection's army. Emerald greeted her happily when she arrived and looked over her worried when he saw the bandage. Hawkeye left the two of them to their reunion and walked back to his hill. _'So Insurrection has guns now does he? I'll have to speak to the Princesses about this.' _He gazed off into the distance peacefully.


	46. Chapter 46 the march across Equestria

The next morning was hectic at best. Everypony was preparing for the two day march that would take them to the border of Equestria. By mid day the army of five thousand ponies were ready to begin their march. All the civilians had to be left in Pearis to keep them out of the battle.

"Do not worry Rarity. I will be back before you know it." Steam smiled at her sadly. She threw her arms around him. "Please be safe Steam." He hugged her back. "I will." Steam pushed her to arms length and looked at her. He then kissed her and walked off to join the column of soldiers.

Shinning Armor was doing the same to console Princess Cadence. Many other soldiers were saying good bye to their loved ones before forming up in their columns. President Red Wine had insisted on coming along as well and was wearing full bronze plate armor with a beret instead of a helmet. She also wore a saber at her side.

As the column of soldiers walked down the street to toward the entrance of the city ponies threw flowers and confetti out of windows and cheered as they passed. Hawkeye, Quick Shot, Ace, Shinning Armor, Red Wine, and the Princesses led them out of the city and into the countryside.

The journey took a little longer than expected due to harsh weather but the army arrived at the border with out any problems. Princess Celestia turned to the soldiers. "Once we are in Equestria we cannot trust any earth ponies. Do not kill them on sight, but be cautious around them. Our main objective is to find Insurrection. He is most likely hiding in one of the cities so we shall search them one by one until we find him." The soldiers nodded their heads in agreement. "I want to thank all of you ponies, from Prance and Germaneigh, for helping us in our time of need." The soldiers cheered. Hawkee stepped forward. "If I may speak princess?" She nodded and stepped back.

Hawkeye looked over the rows of soldiers critically as he stood before them. "Ponies!" He called out. "These upcoming battles are going to be the harshest, most tiring, and bloody days of your lives. I wish I could tell you that all of you will live to see your homes again. That is not the case! Ponies will die in war. It is unavoidable. All I ask of you is to see this war through until the end!" The soldiers cheered and waved their hooves in the air. He waited until they had quieted down before continuing. "You will not be remembered by how many enemies you have killed, nor will you be remembered for how efficient you are with your blade. Many of you may not be remembered at all. But remember this! While you are on the battle field, no matter how many soldiers you have killed, no matter how many prisoners you have liberated, you will all be seen as heroes to the country of Equestria!" The ponies cheered loudly. Hawkeye nodded to princess Celestia and stepped back into his place.

The army marched into Equestria in high spirits. The army marched into Detrot and Tramplevania. The small number of defenders in each of the cities were no match for the large number of soldiers. They marched from city to city until they met an army of nearly equal size in Stalliongrad. Having cleared out every city behind them they did not fear an assault from behind and marched straight into Stallinograd.

**Five days into assault on Staliongrad**

Hawkeye quickly bolted around the corner and stood with his back to the wall. An arrow whizzed past and hit a barrel on the outside of the alleyway. He looked to his left panting to see he had turned into a dead end. _'FUCK!'_ He thought. He could hear the foot steps of the enemies getting closer. He saw a door near the end of the alleyway. Hawkeye ran over and tested the door. Finding it locked he kicked the door in and held his sword ready. Inside were two very surprised enemy soldiers with a world war one style radio on the ground. He rushed forward and killed them then smashed the radio.

He heard shouts coming from the alley so he ran to the top floor of the building. Once up there he opened one of the windows and jumped out onto the roof of the next building over. As he landed an arrow hit the roof next to him. He looked back to where it had come from. "Found ya!" He rolled out of the way as he saw the pony draw and release a second arrow. He jumped onto the roof across the alley and ran toward the sniper's hiding spot.

He sprinted as fast as he could and jumped with all his strength across the street and crashed through the window left of the sniper's hiding spot. He tumbled across the floor and got to his feet in time to block a slash from the sniper's dagger. The sniper was no match for him and was quickly dispatched. He took one of the magic rocks out of his pocket and tossed it across the street and onto the opposite roof. The magic enchanted rock started smoking.

The pegasi in the air saw the smoke and signaled to the ground troops that it was safe to move. Hawkeye ran out of the building and met up with the rest of his small platoon. "Come on, the base should be just up the street." He looked down the alley way and saw an enemy soldier looking at them. The soldier turned and shouted into the house. "Prepare to fight!" He yelled and put his sword in front of him. The others did the same and charged forward at the soldiers who were coming out of the house and into the alleyway.


	47. Chapter 47 the battle of Stalliongrad

While Hawkeye was searching for the base of operations; Ace and Quick Shot were busy fighting in the trenches that had been dug all over the city. They defended the trench against melee attacks while archers fired at anything that moved in the opposite trench. Quick Shot stepped over a corpse as he walked to Ace. "The ponies in the east trench are having trouble with snipers." He said. Ace nodded and motioned for two of the foot soldiers to follow him.

They arrived at the east trench in time to see one of the ponies take an arrow to the forehead while taking a potshot at the sniper. The pony tumbled backward into the trench but was amazingly still alive. The medics carefully put him on a stretcher and carried him to the field hospital. "How should we go about doing this?" He asked. Quick Shot smiled at him. When I get hit by an arrow you run out of the trench as fast as you can to the closest building and get inside." Ace looked at him in confusion. Quick Shot took off his helmet and raised it above the trench with his sword.

"Oh." Ace said. He motioned for the other two to get ready. An arrow hit the helmet knocking it off the sword. Ace sprang up out of the trench and ran to the closest building. The last of the three made it inside and an arrow smacked into the ground behind them. Ace motioned for the two to follow him upstairs. He opened a window and looked up at the next building's roof.

"Give me a boost." He said. One of the ponies took a hold of his legs and threw him as he jumped on top of the roof. He held out his arms and caught the soldier as he jumped as well. He did the same for the next and they crawled along the roof tops carefully. Finally they were in a position where they could see into the enemy trench. He watched as an arrow flew out of the window directly below him and barely missed a soldier.

He grabbed hold of one of the pony's arms and prepared to swing down into the window. The second soldier held onto the first's torso so that he wouldn't be dragged off the roof when Ace jumped. He counted to three and swung down through the open window. He landed on his feet and wheeled around to see a very startled sniper. Ace recovered first and stabbed his sword through the pony's chest. The two others came down through the window and looked at the trench.

One of them picked up the bow and started firing into the ponies in the trench. He took three down before they realized what was happening. Ace found a chair and threw it out the window into the trench, smashing two ponies under it. The two of them grinned at him and he shrugged.

Quick Shot lead the ponies on a charge. The enemies were too distracted by the sniper in the window above them to react quickly enough. They poured into the trench hacking and slashing at the enemy soldiers. Soon they had control of the trench and were building a barricade out of dead bodies so ponies farther down the trench couldn't shoot them with arrows easily. Ace and the two ponies joined him in the trench and they threw a smoke rock onto the roof above them.

**Main base**

Hawkeye burst in through the door of the building and stepped to the side as the archers fired arrows at the ponies in the room. The surprised ponies didn't have time to react and all fell to the floor with one or two arrows in them each. "Clear!" Hawkey called out and ran into the building. "Archers clear out the upper floor, everyone else with me to the basement!" They split into two groups and stormed the building.

In the basement Hawkeye found a large number of radios and a crude radar. The ponies cleared out the room and began smashing the equipment. Upstairs the archers had already taken down the ponies on the upper floors and were smashing radar equipment and radios as well. Hawkeye's group met them upstairs. "That's everything! Let's get out of here!" They ran out through the front door and made their way back to the west trench.


	48. Chapter 48 battle scars

The trenches had finally been overrun and now the battles were taking place in the open street. Quick Shot was fighting along side his platoon confidently as they pushed the enemy backwards. They continued to push them back until they were pinned against a building. They finished them off and ran down a side street in search of more enemies. Quick Shot felt slight resistance on one of his hooves as he stepped forward and heard a small snapping noise.

The string snapping caused explosives on either side of him to explode. He flew forward and landed with a thud. Behind him he could hear groans of pain. His vision was going blurry but he could see a pony in very thick armor walking toward them with a sword in hand. Quick Shot watched him weakly as he strolled up in front of him. "You're one of those ponies who have been giving us so much trouble aren't you. Well I guess I'll just fix that." The pony raised the sword and stabbed it down through Quick Shot's back. He screamed in pain and writhed on the end of the blade.

Ace heard the explosion and raced toward it. He found the charred alley and the dead soldiers. He walked down the alley stepping over blown off legs and around pools of blood. He stopped in front of Quick Shot in horror. "Quick Shot!" He knelt down and cradled his head in his arms. Quick Shot muttered something and his eyes weakly opened. "Quick Shot! Are you ok? Speak to me!" He yelled at him. Quick Shot looked at him but couldn't speak. "MEDIC!" Ace screamed.

Ace watched as the medics put Quick Shot onto a stretcher and carried him off the battle field. He slowly stood up. "He's still alive? That is one resilient pony." Ace spun around and saw a pony in thick armor standing in a doorway. "You, did you do this?" He growled. The pony nodded his head grinning. "He screamed like a filly while I drove my blade through his back."

Ace drew his sword. "I'm going to enjoy killing you, you bastard!" The pony's smile broadened and he picked up his sword. "We'll see who will be killing who." He said. They ran at each other with swords raised. Their swords clashed and they leaned in so their faces were almost touching.

They separated and immediately went back to exchanging blows. Ace had the advantage of speed but his opponent had the advantage of strength. They continued bashing at each other's swords for a while then jumped apart. "You are a much better fighter than I expected!" Ace said nothing. They came at each other again but this time Ace dodged to the left. He brought his sword up under his enemy's defenses and smacked the blade into the armor with all his force. The armor didn't even dent.

After nearly an hour of fighting they were both bruised and tired. The pony was getting tired of how long things were taking. "Why can't you just die already!?" He lunged forward clumsily and slipped in a pool of blood. Ace lunged forward. The weight of the armor while falling combined with the strength of Ace's lunge was enough to make the blade go straight through the armor and out his back. The pony gasped in pain as Ace pulled the word from his chest. "That's for Quick Shot you son of a bitch." The pony looked up at him shocked. Ace pulled the blade back and thrust it through the pony's head. He collapsed to the ground dead.

Ace sat down on the ground tiredly. He smiled a little when he heard cheers coming up from all around the city. He looked toward the governor's mansion and saw a white flag with a sun and moon on it rising. He slumped against the wall and sighed. _'So tired.' _He thought

Hawkeye and Ace visited Quick Shot in the hospital after the battle was over. He smiled at the two of them weakly. "Hey guys, did we win?" Hawkeye nodded. "Good…" He frowned at the bed sheet. "How are you feeling?" Ace asked. Ace tried to smile. "It hurts a little, but I can't feel anything below where I was stabbed. The doctors say I may never be able to walk again." A tear rolled down his eye but he kept a sad smile on his face. Hawkeye bowed his head in sadness. Ace placed a hoof on his friend's shoulder. "Maybe one of the unicorns can fix you?" He asked hopefully. Quick Shot shook his head sadly. "The doctors say spinal cords are to complex to fix with magic." Hawkeye shook his head. "If I ever get my hands on the bastard that did this to you…" Ace smiled at him sadly. "You're too late, I killed him already."


	49. Chapter 49 the final battle part 1

The once five thousand soldiers had been reduced down to a little over two thousand. As they marched to the final city of Stableside spirits were low. Everypony was exhausted, injured, and sick of all the death. A mile away from the city they stopped so that Princess Celestia could address them.

"Ponies! Our final battle is just a mile away. I know you are all tired but we must fight to finish this. Luna and I have been speaking and we both agree that the two of us will not only lead the charge, we will fight along side you." Murmurs of surprise arose from the lines of soldiers. Hawkeye walked over to her in shock. "Your highness. I don't think that would be a good idea, you and Luna should stay out of the fighting! If you two die then this entire campaign will be for nothing." He whispered to her. She nodded her head. "We will not change our minds, but thank you for your concern." She told him.

The princesses' horns glowed and a moment later they were covered in armor and had both had a very long sword at their side. Hawkeye stepped to the front to give a speech as well. "Well congratulations. After nearly a month of fighting and hardship you've arrived at our final destination. Even if Insurrection isn't here we've still won for he has no army, no cities, and no where to hide. All we ask is that you fight your best this one last time." The ponies nodded their heads in agreement instead of cheering. Hawkeye stepped back and Red Wine stepped forward. "Ponies of Prance! Zis is our finally battle! Honor your country by fighting your best!" The soldiers from prance yelled in approval. Red Wine stepped back and the commander of the German ponies steeped forward. He yelled at them in a different language so pretty much no one but the German ponies knew what he was saying.

Once all the speeches were done the ponies lined up and started the march toward the city. Hawkeye looked from the city back to the soldiers and back to the city. _'Well this is it. The last battle.' _He thought. Hawkeye looked at Ace who nodded at him. They marched forward without any expressions on their faces.

**The final battle part 1**

When the army was only a couple yards away from the gate they charged while yelling battle cries. They ran through the open gate and ran off in different directions down the streets to fight the defending soldiers. The attackers being well trained but tired were a good match for the untrained rested soldiers.

Hawkeye slashed his opponent across the chest and glanced at the others. They were having a little trouble but usually came out on top during their fights. He turned back to the battle and just barely blocked a slash from a pony. He got around his defenses and stabbed him through the chest. Two more soldiers took his place. _'They just keep coming!'_

Ace was having similar troubles. His platoon was almost entirely gone but so was the enemy's they were facing. He had to fight four at a time so that the others would have a good chance. He managed to kill one but the other three were still coming at him full force. He ducked under a slash from all three of the ponies and gave them a slash of his own. The blade went straight through the first two pony's stomachs and stopped in the third. They all collapsed.

Steam was fighting alongside Wave and Maelstrom. The three of them were able to push back a group of ten ponies by themselves. Being accustomed to hard work and fighting off pirates was an advantage over these ponies. They had them all killed before they knew it. Steam motioned for his platoon to move forward toward the governor's mansion where Insurrection was likely staying.

The Princesses flew above the battle field, swooping down every once and a while to help platoons that were struggling. Princess Celestia had blood splattered across her face and was grinning like a maniac. Luna however was perfectly clean and held a face of indifference. They looked at each other in the air. "Erm… you have something on your face sister." Luna said pointing at her face. "It's called blood Luna! How are you not covered in any?" Celestia asked. "Because we are careful when fighting." Celestia shrugged and dove back into the fighting.

Meanwhile in the governor's mansion Insurrection watched the battle from a tall window. He was slightly surprised to see that the Princesses were also fighting. He turned to his general. "Have all the troops fall back to the mansion. They are to defend it with their lives." He said. The general saluted and ran off.


	50. Chapter 50 the final battle part 2

The enemy soldiers fell back to the mansion with the invading army close behind. They locked themselves in the mansion but doors don't matter to unicorns, or walls for that matter. They blew down the entire front wall of the house and stormed in upon the surprised ponies. Hawkeye and Aqua managed to slip by the enemies and make their way up stairs.

The two of them cautiously crept along the hallways, checking rooms as they went for enemy soldiers but it appeared as though they were all fighting on the main floor. "Do you know where he might be?" Hawkeye whispered to Aqua. She shook her head and they continued their search.

After nearly ten minutes of searching they found Insurrection standing in a very large room. He looked at Aqua surprised. "So the traitor survived? How unfortunate. He reached in his pocket and pulled out the gun. "This time I'll shoot you in the head!" He aimed and fired. "No!" Hawkeye jumped in front of Aqua just as he fired. The bullet went through his flak jacket and stopped in his chest. Insurrection laughed and fled through a side door.

The fighting stopped when they heard the gun fire. Everypony looked around confused, wondering what had happened. The attackers recovered first and started killing the defenders quickly. The defenders couldn't react quick enough and soon had to surrender. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna walked past the soldiers and up the stairs with Ace, Steam, and Red wine close behind. Aqua passed running down the stairs with Hawkeye on her back. "Medic!" She called out.

The five ponies walked upstairs and followed the trail of blood to a very large room. "'e's not 'ere." Said Red Wine. Ace pointed at the side door. "Perhaps he went in there?" Steam walked over to it with his sword ready and opened the door. I shot rang out and Steam was knocked backwards. He grunted in surprise as the bullet smashed into his leg. The other four rushed into the room and found Insurrection surrounded by twenty guards.

"Ah. How lovely of you to join us Princess Celestia, Princess Luna." He looked at Red Wine. "I don't believe I've done anything to your country, why are you here?" Ace cut her off. "Don't answer that." Insurrection glared at him. "And you. I had so hoped that you would join me in my quest for equality." He said. Ace didn't say anything. "Very well then. Guards, kill them!" The guards rushed forward.

Princess Celestia's pupils grew tiny and she started smiling like a psychopath again. "BRING IT ON!" She yelled and raised her sword to attack. The other three got their swords ready as well and met the enemy. Princess Celestia slashed and hacked with her sword making blood fly in every direction while the others carefully took down their opponents. The battle was over quickly. Princess Celestia turned from left to right. "WHO'S NEXT!? I'LL TAKE YOU ALL ONE BY ONE!" Everyone in the room looked at her fearfully. "Um, princess, they're all dead now." She looked around the room and smiled sheepishly while lowering her sword.

Insurrection glared at them. "I have no intentions of being a prisoner!" He raised the gun to his head and fired before anypony could react. The shot echoed throughout the mansion causing every pony to once again look around in confusion. The four ponies stared at Insurrection's corpse in surprise. Blood was quickly pooling around his head. He wore the expression of a mad man on his cold, dead face.


	51. Epilouge

For three years after the war was over construction on Manehatten and CanterlotCastle continued. As promised a trade route was opened between Prance and Germaneigh. When the castle was finished they added a statue in the courtyard. The statue was that of Hawkeye, Ace, Quick Shot, and Kestrel. They were standing in a line saluting with a Blackhawk helicopter behind them. A large plaque on the statue listed the names of every soldier who had served and died during the war. Over all the war had killed nearly fifteen thousand ponies.

**Steam and Rarity**

The bullet Steam took to his leg crippled him for the rest of his life. He had to retire from the navy and instead took up the job of making and repairing boats. He and Rarity were married two years after the war ended.

**Aqua and Emerald**

Aqua settled down in Manehatten after the war ended. She went back to her old job as a worker at the docks. Emerald visited her often and after four years they married each other. They had two children and were very happy together.

**Wave**

Wave took over command of the ship and became Equestria's second youngest Admiral, Steam being the first. He sailed the seas until one day he was killed during an attack by pirates. He was buried at sea with much sadness.

**Maelstrom**

Maelstrom decided to settle down in ponyville where he met Applejack. They became close friends and were eventually married. He worked on the farm and enjoyed the simple life style.

**President Red Wine**

Red Wine returned to Prance with her remaining troops and received a hero's welcome. She continued her presidency for two more years before she was replaced with President Green Beret.

**The German forces**

The German soldiers returned to Germaneigh quietly after the battle.

**Shinning Armor**

Shinning returned to Canterlot and continued his position as captain of the guard. He visits Twilight whenever he has a vacation.

**Ace**

Ace decided to live in Ponyville after the war. He made money doing any job he could find. He eventually decided to start a martial arts class and made a steady profit that way.

**Quick Shot**

Quick Shot became depressed after the war ended and had to travel around in a wheel chair for the rest of his life. He eventually met Fluttershy and fell in love with her. They married almost seven years after the war ended.

**Hawkeye**

Hawkeye's wounds caused problems for him for the rest of his life. The bullet had been removed but it had hit his heart. The wound had never healed correctly so he couldn't exert himself too hard. He stayed in Canterlot as an advisor to the princesses.

**Prince Blue Blood**

Blue Blood tried his best to become a more considerate pony after the war ended. He eventually befriended Hawkeye and often asked him for advice.

Every year on the anniversary of the helicopter crash the three of them laid flowers on Kestrels grave and went to the crash site to watch the sunset. This was difficult for Quick Shot but he was always there, on time every year. The three of them would watch the sunset and stand there until the moon rose over the mountain tops. They remained good friends until the day they died.


End file.
